I Swear The Universe Wants Us Apart
by grandegrassi
Summary: PREVIOUSLY CALLED "SO CLOSE, SO FAR"! Miles and Maya meet over a chat site and when they meet, they instantly hit it off and admit their feelings. But with people who want them apart, and an attempted murder, it seems like the universe just wants them apart. Will they make it, or will they just be another "What If?"
1. Chapter 1: Texts, Blushes, and BFFs

Hi guys! So, this is the first chapter of my first fan-fiction. It's in a bit of a weird format, but some of my favorite fan-fictions are in different kinds of formats, so, yeah. Yay! So, when you're done reading, please leave a review. I'll be writing and updating as much as possible, so, yay! Hope you enjoy. Okay, bye for now! (sidenote: in this story, the paris trip didn't happen, but everything else is canon. Maya and Miles are sophomores!

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Chapter 1:

(MAYA)

Maya Matlin sat in her French class, tapping her fingers and waiting for her phone to light up. She'd been chatting non-stop with someone for the past few weeks. They'd met on a chat site that was usually full of creepy guys who definitely weren't teens, called "TeensChats". It was lame, but it was also midnight and Maya had nothing better to do online. Her face-range had been deactivated after a video of her making out with Harry made it on there when Maya got drunk. Big, big mistake. But, it was the past. But, it just sucked since she now had no reason to use her laptop other than to write essays for school. The guy, (well, she figured it was a guy but you never know, right? All she could do was hope,) was apparently also a Toronto resident. Whether he went to Degrassi or not was Maya's biggest question. Her phone made a quiet 'bloop' letting her know that the boy she'd been talking to had replied. Luckily, her class was, as usual, buzzing, so nobody could really hear the noise it made, let alone notice that she was on her phone. She smiled as she opened the chat window.

**billionarebadboy: when can we meet? it's been almost a month since we started chatting.**

Maya sighed.

**mmlovesmusic: idk, we've talked for almost a month, but i still don't know ur name. i know so much about u...why wont u tell me ur name.**  
**billionarebadboy: hint: my dad is kinda big in toronto. a public figure..**

Maya thought... A celebrity? Politician? Well, I guess the 'Billionare' part makes sense if he's rich. She just figured it was a reference to a movie. She bit her lip, trying to hide the smile she had thinking of if she figured out who this boy is. Maya sat, not replying, trying to decipher the clue. She was brought back into reality by Tristan's voice. "Just so you know, Madame is staring at you. If you keep smiling at your phone, she'll probably make you read your texts out loud. Want a repeat of the 'nibble on the ear' incident?" Maya cringed. "Okay, you have a point." She bit her lip, but not in the happy way she did when she read Billionarebadboy's chats. "Maya, what is that in your hand?" Madame raised an eyebrow, even though it was obvious that she knew. "Sorry, Madame." She ran her fingers through her hair, catching a few knots.

**mmlovesmusic: gotta go for now. i'll have you on my mind. promise i'll be on yours?**  
**billionarebadboy: mayyybeee.**

Maya put her phone away, wondering when she'd know who this boy is.

(MILES)

Miles tapped his pencils on the desk in front of him. "Mr. Hollingsworth, please stop tapping." Mr. Perino furrowed his brows. "Okay, fine. Whatever." He mumbled. "Excuse me?" Mr. Perino replied, obviously not happy with Miles' tone. "I said whatever." Miles replied smartly. "Get out of my class, Hollingsworth." Miles smirked. "Okay." He grabbed his bookbag. "Hey, go to Princip-" Before Perino could finish the sentence, the door was slammed. Miles stormed out of the school, and made his way home. Luckily, it was the last class of the day, so he was only missing the last 40 minutes of class. He got home and slammed that door too. "Miles, what the hell are you doing home?!" Miles' father screamed. "Shit..." Miles muttered. He forgot that his dad knew the school schedule now, and that he had been called already about Miles skipping class. "Miles, I SWEAR. If you're skipping class again, I'll beat your ass". And unlike most people, Miles' dad meant it... "I'm not skipping." Miles started. Well, technically he wasn't. "Perino said I was done for the day, and let me go early." Bending the truth a lot, Miles kept a strong face. "Whatever." Miles' dad said, rolling his eyes and shoving Miles into the door. Miles bit his bottom lip, wishing that his phone would 'bloop' letting him know that he could finally have something to smile at.

Miles sat on his bed, tapping away, texting Chewy. A pointless conversation about the countless hot girls at Degrassi. Alli Bhandari has nice boobs, Jenna Middleton has a nice ass, there are a few cute freshmen... Nothing different, honestly. It wasn't really interesting him, so he laid down for about ten minutes, until a telltale 'bloop' made a grin appear on his face.

**mmlovesmusic: tell me, do you go to degrassi?**

Miles thought if he should tell this girl whether he went to Degrassi or not. But...they'd talked about so much.

**billionarebadboy: yes...i'm new this year. do you go to degrassi?**

**mmlovesmusic: i might.**

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So, here's my first chapter! R&R? It'll progress more in the next few chapters!


	2. Chapter 2: Guesses, Crushes, and Punches

Hi babes! I got two reviews, yay! Be sure to look out, I'll be adding a new story soon. So, keep those reviews coming. If you have ideas or suggestions, let me know. Enjoy!

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(MILES)

Miles woke up the wrong way Saturday morning. Well, it would've been fine if he hadn't have been yanked from bed at 6:30am. "Miles, get the hell up!" His father yelled. "Why?" Miles moaned, still asleep. "Because, I got a email from your teacher, Mr. Perino, telling me that you left class. You lied to me, you asshole!" Miles sighed. "Sorry dad," Mr. Hollingsworth disregarded the apology, and just smacked Miles across the face. "You better wise up, idiot. You're messing up your life, and for what? You're making me look bad!" Miles tuned out the rest of his fathers babbling about how Miles was pointless and disappointing. Once Mr. Hollingsworth was nearly purple in the face, he finally stopped yelling and just walked out, slamming the door. He unlocked his phone and opened up his chat window.

**billionarebadboy: you awake at this ungodly hour?**

A message popped up seconds later.

**mmlovesmusic: maybe i never slept. **

**billionarebadboy: why not? pretty girls need sleep.**

**mmlovesmusic: i never sleep on weekends. homework. practicing my music. then researching who you are. why do you say i'm pretty? you don't know who i am. **

**billionarebadboy: any luck finding out my identity? and... you are pretty, i guarantee. **

**mmlovesmusic: okay, i have 3 guesses...**

Miles smiled at his phone nervously. He wanted to meet this girl, but he wondered if they'd have chemistry in real life... Or if the girl would even like her. Maybe she's in his classes and thinks Miles is a total asshole. "Miles, get your ass in the kitchen. You're doing the dishes!" Miles left his phone on the bed, and figured he'd rush through the dishes.

(MAYA)

So, Maya thought she'd figured it out. Either the boy was Jesse Sails, the son of the owner of all of the "Pizza Pizza" stores in Canada, Miles Hollingsworth, some new kid who's dad was running for Mayor, or Richie Prayer, who was a football prodigy and had won a football scholarship that landed him a lot of money. They were the only kids at Degrassi that had tons of money, therefore the name "Billionaire". Jesse was kind of a player, she didn't know who Miles was, and Richie was really dumb and cheated on every text. So, she had no idea who she was rooting for. She waited on a reply so she could give her guesses. But, after ten minutes there was no reply, so... She called Tristan. It was now 7am. "What do you want?" Tristan groaned, obviously half asleep. "Get up, Tristan! I'm bored." Maya said excitedly. "You know whats fun, Maya? SLEEPING!" Tristan hung up. Maya rolled her eyes. Tristan was always this way in the morning before he got a latte. She checked her chat again and with no reply, she gave up. She grabbed her cello and started playing a song that she had started to write. She had gotten the music down, but the words, she was still working on... She started singing what she had.

"I wanna know your name, I'm tired of this game, Don't want to hide anymore. I wanna hold your hand, I wanna feel your kiss...Oh, can we just...um...be together?"

Her phone blooped and she basically dropped her cello on the floor. It was from Tristan...Not the guy she wanted a message from, but it was better than writing songs that had really bad, cliche lyrics. Maya was good at cello, bad at song-writing. "Meet me at my house in 10." Finally, something to do! Maya set her cello up and checked it for scratches. Nothing, thank God. She put her cello away and got dressed to hang out with Tristan.

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Uneventful chapter, sorry. The next chapter I'm thinking of Tristan either reading their chats or Maya telling him. Not sure yet. I'll update tomorrow!


	3. Chapter 3: Fab, Owen, and OMGs

Hii guys sorry it took like two days to update. I'll be posting this as a super-long chapter, then I'll add another chapter today. Then I'll add one to Sister, Brother. (If you haven't checked it out, do it!) R&R and if you have story requests hit me with them!

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(MAYA)

Maya arrived at Tristan's right on time. She knocked on the door to the Milligan household and Owen answered.

"Tristan, Chicken Cutlet girl is here to see you!" Owen yelled in an annoyed voice. When Tristan failed to reply, Owen twisted his mouth. "Come on in, I guess." He rolled his eyes and let Maya in. Maya looked around, avoiding Owen's glares as she sat down on the couch. "So, why are you here?" Owen remarked. It wasn't even a question...More of awkward small talk.

Owen didn't like Maya since she threw a chicken cutlet at him and embarrassed him in front of a bunch of hockey guys. "Um, Tristan and I are probably just going to go to the mall. I don't know yet." Owen nodded his head, then after a minute of uncomfortable silence, Maya got up and turned to the rude older boy. "I'm gonna go check on Tristan."

Anything to escape this situation. Maya knocked on Tristan's door, and without a thought, opened it up, and found Tristan on his bed, well...he wasn't sitting on the bed. He was sitting on another boy's lap. Fab's lap, to be exact. Tristan shushed Maya, knowing that the girl was about to ask what the heck was happening.

Tristan untangled himself from Fab, and pulled Maya to the other side of the room. "Don't you dare tell Owen! Fab snuck in right after you called," He gestured to the window, then to the guy in the black tank top on Tristan's twin sized bed. "Are you guys gonna..." Maya whispered back, raising her eyebrows and hoping Tristan got the idea. Maya wasn't too keen on saying the word, but...luckily Tristan understood. "You never know," Tristan grinned.

"I thought you weren't into him anymore... After the fashion week thing?" Maya knew Tristan could be a bit desperate, so what Tristan said next didn't surprise her. "I forgave him!" She rolled her eyes ever-so-slightly. "I don't need your judgement, Matlin! Remember, you almost totally hooked up with Henry or whatever his name was!"

Tristan's logic was flawed, but seeing Fab sitting on the bed was making Maya incredibly uncomfortable, and thinking of what Tristan might do was even worse. So, she just ran her fingers through her frizzy hair, and shook her head. "Have fun..?" She said, leaving Tristan and Fab to do what they would do.

Maya left the Milligan household, luckily Owen was in the kitchen, so he just yelled "Have fun" from there, and didn't need to know any details.

Maya walked out, and decided Tristan's hooking up with Fab wasn't gonna stop her from going out. No matter how lonely she looked, she'd just go shopping and to lunch alone. At least she had her phone to chat on.

(MILES)

**mmlovesmusic: just walked in on my bff about to hook up with some guy. awkward. as. hell! now going out alone. this day is awkward. **

**billionarebadboy: wow, sounds fun! lol. i could join u today?...**

Miles didn't even think before he made that offer. It could be a big mistake... Or it could be a good thing... Either way, it was up to her, not him now. The ball was in her court. He had finished each and every chore his dad assigned him, and he had a car available for the day. So, it was either go out and meet this mystery girl, or he could go and buy new ties with his dad.

**mmlovesmusic: are u serious?**

**billionarebadboy: maybe. then you could not have to use your guesses, and you could just find out.**

**mmlovesmusic: omg! i forgot about my guesses!**

**billionarebadboy: come out with me, and you can just find out!**

**mmlovesmusic: the dot in...say a half hour? :)**

**billionarebadboy: it's a date.**

Miles had never been nervous for a date before. Usually, he was the opposite. He would be calm and collected. The guy who didn't care. But...now Miles felt the need to comb his hair the way his mom always used to, and put on his nicest shirt. Half an hour until he meets the mystery girl who has been on his mind for about a month... Miles felt like there was a frog in his stomach that just kept leaping and leaping, tying knots with every jump.

After finding his favorite olive green shirt and khaki shorts, Miles was en route to meet this girl. He wondered what she looked like. Whether she was blonde or brunette, or...what if she was one of those girls who dyed her hair purple or blue...Oh, those girls are the worst! What if she's a total freak? What if...What if it's a catfish? A total hoax to make him look stupid? What if it's Chewy? Oh, this is a bad, bad, idea! Miles' brain was on overdrive thinking of every possibility. But...he was out of time. It was time to meet whoever the hell this person was.

Miles stepped out of the black car, and told the driver to go home and that Miles would call when it was time to be picked up. He swallowed his fears, and headed into the buzzing cafe.

The Dot wasn't the type of place Miles was used to. He was used to formal places, with lobster on the menu, and formal attire only allowed. It was actually a nice pace to see a bunch of teenagers sipping on coffee that was definitely not top-grade, biting into donuts or sandwiches or chewing on golden fries. It was nothing special, but it brought a smile to Miles' face.

He sat down, and wondered if the girl was already there. Should he have stood and waited? Wait, how are they supposed to know who the other is? He stood himself up again, and as soon as he stepped from the empty table, a couple stole the table. Oops.

He saw a tall brunette with bad skin sitting by herself. "Um, hey. Is this seat taken?..." The girl gave him a look, and shook her head slightly. "Um, wait...What's your name?" The girl sipped her coffee, then replied, "My name is Laurel." Miles bit his bottom lip. "I think I'm at the wrong table, sorry." He got up, and went to turn around when he collided with a short blonde girl...

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Oooh, who could he possibly be bumping into? :)


	4. Chapter 4: Meeting, Smiles and Sunsets

R&R guys and leave any story ideas that I should write beloowww! :)

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(MAYA)

Maya walked back to her house after a date was made. Her hands shook as she unlocked the door to her house. "Hey, sweetie!" Maya's mom was sitting in the living room. "I thought you were going to Tristans!" Maya quickly formulated a story in her head. She couldn't exactly say, _'Mom, I'm going to go meet a guy I met online!'_

"Oh, I am! But, he didn't tell me that, um... He's wearing a purple shirt and denim shorts too. Apparently matching in public is equivalent to wearing crocs, so, he sent me home to change."

Mayas mom furrowed her brow. "But, you went to Tristan's. Why couldn't you just change there?"

Maya shrugged. "I dunno, but I'm meeting him at The Dot in 30 minutes, so I better go change, bye mom!" Maya kissed her mom's cheek and basically ran into her room.

After spending ten minutes trying to figure out what to wear, Maya finally decided on a magenta tank top, a black and white polka dotted cardigan, and a denim skirt that fell just above her knees. She curled the most frizzy parts of her hair, so it looked a bit more tamed, then put on a bit of Katie's 'date lipgloss' that she'd left for Maya. Though Maya thought sharing lip products with the girl who had lip-locked with Jake and Drew was kind of gross, it looked nice, and Maya needed to look nice.

"Wow, you look nice, Maya! Are you dating Tristan?" Mrs. Matlin giggled, "Aw, I just wanted to look cute. Leave me alone" Maya joked back, glad that her mom wasn't a very suspicious person. "I'll be walking to The Dot. I have my phone, so I'll text you if I need you." Maya said, on her way out. She shut the door, not giving her mother a chance to reply.

A short walk seemed like forever as Maya made her way through her neighborhood to The Dot. Once she got there, she looked at her watch and saw that it had been almost 40 minutes since they agreed on 30 minutes. "Crap!" Maya whispered, as she rushed into The Dot.

She barely got in the door when she collided with a tall boy. "Oh, I'm sorry.." She said, but she was way too distracted by the boy's emerald eyes. "Are you 'mmlovesmusic'?" The boy says in a deep, enticing voice.

"I-I am billionarebadboy. I mean, I'm not billionarebadboy, I meant that I am, with a comma, not...Yes. That's me...I'm Maya and I swear I'm really not that bad at talking."

The boy just smiled at her. Wow, he was gorgeous...

(MILES)

Maya. Maya. Maya. That name rang some sort of bell, but what was it? He probably could've figured it out, but he was too distracted by the gorgeous girl who was still sitting on the floor.

"Hey, we have tables..." A waiter remarked rudely. "Oh, okay." Maya said in her cute, kind of squeaky voice. She reminded Miles of an owl mixed with a mouse. It was cute. Miles got up off the floor and then helped Maya up. The waiter lead them to a table, where Miles tried to pull out Maya's chair, but he hit her leg with the chair. "Sorry, Maya." But Maya didn't yell. She didn't scoff or sneer like all the other girls he'd dated. She giggled. "It's okay!" She said, obviously sensing Miles' nerves.

"So, whats your name anyway, billionarebadboy?" Miles laughed at his cheesy username. He didn't choose it, Chewy did. Chewy thought it would look mysterious and help him pick up chicks. Well, it picked up a chick. A beautiful one. "I'm Miles Hollingsworth. The third."

(BOTH POVS)

Maya's face lit up. "You were on my guess list! I mean, your name was...I guess you were, too." Miles smiled. "You figured me out before I had an idea about you. I was worried I'd get catfished or something."

Miles and Maya laughed and talked and shared stories for about four hours, not even noticing the rotating cast of people in the shop, or the fact that the waiter had stopped coming back to check on them. The only thing that was noticed was the setting sun.

"Hey, the sun is setting." Maya said, blushing and imagining them watching the sunset together.

"Oh, oh crap. I gotta go. Crap... I'm gonna get my-" Miles was going to say he was going to get his ass kicked, but his dad's abuse was not exactly a first date topic.

"Gonna get your what?" Maya wondered to the boy she now knew by name.

"Nothing," Miles mumbled. "I just, I have to go. I'm sorry. This was an amazing date and you're beautiful and I really like you and I hope to see you again soon and...I'm glad we met. But, I have to go home. I should've been home like an hour ago." Miles chewed at his bottom lip. "Can I have your number? I think my cell bill is probably gonna be crazy with that chat app.

"Sure," Maya was still blushing that Miles called her beautiful...And that he really liked her. She wrote down her number on a napkin. "Here, just text me something cute so I know its you." She was still kind of new to flirting, especially with guys who weren't Cam... Now her mind was wandering to Cam.

"Maybe I can see you tomorrow?" Miles didn't notice that Maya's mind was elsewhere. "Sure, sounds good."

Neither of them really knew whether to kiss the other, even if both wanted to kiss the other. So, they didn't kiss. Maya went in for a hug, and Miles returned the hug. Maya inhaled Miles' scent. A mix of vanilla and...what else? She wasn't sure, but...She was intoxicated. "I'm glad we met." Miles spoke into the top of Maya's head.

"Me too, Miles."

And with that, the two teenagers headed their separate ways.


	5. Chapter 5: Stabs, Tragedies, and Tears

(MILES)

Miles was floating on a cloud on the car ride home. He'd met the girl...Maya, and she'd turned out to be more than he could've ever imagined. She was not only drop dead gorgeous, but cute and funny and smart and sweet and...she didn't like him because of his mansion or his huge pool or what seemed to be limitless bank account. She liked him because she got to know who he really was. They talked about everything at The Dot.

Well, not everything. But...it seemed like it. From funny classroom stories, Maya's best friend who starred in the controversial school musical that promoted gay rights, Miles' stories about snooty girls who wanted to date him back at his private school... Things didn't get heavy. There was no talk of Miles' dad's abuse or his mother leaving or his dad's trophy wife, Madeline, who didn't give a damn about anything but money and bleaching her hair, or anything that he wouldn't want to talk about.

And, as he thought about his dad, he pulled up to his house, ready for the punishment for staying out past sunset without giving a call, but, when he walked into the house, his father didn't yell. He didn't even show up at the door. Miles hadn't been quiet about opening the door, and there was a 'beep, beep!' whenever the door opened as an alarm... This wasn't right. Something wasn't right...

Miles slowly crept into the kitchen, where he heard water over-boiling. He walked in and there was water everywhere, bubbling on the stove and the tea kettle was screaming.

"What the..." But Miles was cut off when he turned to see his father's body, slumped on the table, with blood coming from his shoulder. "Miles? Is that you?..Why the hell are you so la..." He trailed off. Shit. Miles grabbed his phone from his pocket and disregarded about a dozen texts. He dialed 9-1-1.

"Um, hello? I-um, I think my dad was...stabbed or shot...I just came home, and..." Miles' breathing was short. "Um, please. Come.." Miles gave his address, and stepped away from his father's barely alive body. What the hell happened? Where was Madeline? Who had done this? It was at an angle that was obvious that Miles' dad hadn't self-inflicted this...

So, Miles sat there, on the floor, letting boiling water bubble all over the hi-tech stove... Not sure what to do until he heard sirens.

(MAYA)

Maya was smiling her whole walk home. She took out her phone and dialed Tristan's number. No answer. Ugh, he must still be with Fab! Well, they'd had a day of whatever they were doing, and she figured Tristan could have the decency to kick Fab out for the night. Maya still had time left to go to Tristan's until her curfew, which was 10. She needed to spill her guts about her amazing date.

Maya checked the time, only 6:40. She had plenty of time. She reached Tristan's house in about 7 minutes, and knocked on the door. No answer. Maya waited for about 3 or 4 minutes until she had gotten fed up. As she started to walk away from Tristan's front porch, the door opened. It was Owen.

Owen was sweaty and still wearing his Ice-Hounds jersey. He must've had practice this afternoon... "If it isn't the liar." He remarked, shutting the door behind him so they could talk outside.

"I caught Tristan in his room with that Fab guy with both of their shirts off, and Fab's pants unbuttoned! Why would you let..._that_ happen?! Tristan is barely 15, Maya! Why would you just leave him alone with an 18 year old guy that he barely knows! Things could have happened. They could have..." Owen obviously felt uncomfortable talking to a 14 year old girl about sex, so he just raised his arms. "You know!"

Maya widened her eyes. "Are you blaming me!? I couldn't stop them! Do you think I wanted to say "Hey, Tristan, Fab! You might not want to have sex. It's bad!"? There was nothing I could do but leave! Tristan is 15, he can make his own decisions! Now, let me in so I can talk to him! He's probably really upset with you, cause I can bet you screamed at him and scared Fab off, am I right?"

Owen rolled his eyes. "Yes, I scared the creep off. HE IS 18. HE SHOULD NOT BE TRYING TO GET IN BED WITH A 15 YEAR OLD! TRISTAN DOES NOT BELONG WITH HIM!"

"Well, you can't control who he falls for, Owen! Now let me in so I can console my best friend. You're ruining my good day!" Maya pushed past Owen and made a beeline for Tristan's room, which was locked. "Let me in, Tris. It's Maya." Maya heard shuffling and whispers. To be specific, she heard, "Go in the closet! I'll get you when she goes!" "Ugh, why? It's just her." Then, after about 20 seconds, Tristan appeared at the door. "Hey, Maya." He said, in his sassiest tone. 'I swear, if he had long hair, flipping it would be like a damn tick!' Maya thought, but she just walked in, and opened the closet. Fab fell out onto the floor.

"What the hell, Tristan? Why can't you learn? Owen just screamed my head off and I'm sure he screamed yours off too! Learn a lesson!"

Tristan just rolled his eyes. A normal thing for him to do. Sassy, as usual.

"You don't understand true love."

"I don't? Well, I know sneaking a LEGAL ADULT into my room for sexy time is not true love. I know it, Owen knows it, everyone but you two understands it!" Maya was screaming at him, not even regarding the fact that Owen might come in and see Fab again. He was shirtless. Maya had to admit, he had a nice body, but...so not the point!

"Go away, bitch!" Tristan screamed, shoving her out of his bedroom and slamming the door. Maya felt tears run down her eyes onto her quivering lip. Her one and only best friend had just made the best day of her life, meeting Miles, into the worst thing possible. She ran into Owen's unsuspecting arms... "Ugh, I hate him!" She remarked into Owen's sweaty, salty shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm not too crazy about him either at the moment." Owen said, slowly removing her grip. "Time to go kick a perv out of my brother's room for the second time. I'm sorry I've been so judgmental all this time..." Owen twisted his mouth. "I guess, maybe you're not a bad influence on Tristan. You seem to have your head on more straight. Now, go home. Chill out. I got him."

Maya chewed on her lip and nodded. She knew her way out of Tristan's house like her own, so she let herself out, and wondered how Owen would treat Tristan. Would he just yell...? She wasn't sure, but maybe Tristan needed a slap into reality.

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**Writer: Wow, they both had dramatic evenings. See, this won't be all fluff! It'll be dramatic too. R&R if you have any ideas cause who knows whats gonna happen next? (I have an idea, but I'm up for suggestions, ofc!)**


	6. Chapter 6: Police, Calls, and Cries

Hi guys, I'm so sorry I waited so long to update. I've been trying to write my Maya suicide story which is proving to be impossible. So, just as last time I made you wait, there will be two chapters going up today. And I promise at least one of them will be very bulky. I'll also be updating 'Sister, Brother' and deleting 'Goodbye, Maya Matlin' because it didn't inspire me like I expected. Expect a new story starting soon and for me to actually daily update from now on. Still getting used to my school schedule. R&R!

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(MILES)

The hospital was crowded and stuffy and smelled like a sneeze. Miles wasn't sure what a sneeze smelled like, until he arrived at the hospital. His dad had been taken in an ambulance, so Miles had to wait for his driver to come and take him to the hospital. When he arrived, his heart started beating. The last time Miles had been in a hospital was when Miles' dad broke Miles' arm by yanking him from the top bunk of his bunk bed.

Mr. Hollingsworth told Miles all the way to the hospital. "You fell on your arm, okay?" Over and over. Miles was young, but he still understood.

"Excuse me," a nurse broke Miles' train of thought. "Yeah?" Miles weakly replied. "Are you Miles Hollingsworth's son?" Miles nodded. "Miles the third." He attempted a smile, but he was honestly too scared.

Sure, Miles hated his dad with every fiber of his being, but he'd never want his dad to die. It was his dad, after all. You only have one. And, without a Dad, he'd be in the custody of his evil step-mom.

The nurse took Miles from the waiting room and pulled him into a hallway in front of a bunch of hospital rooms. All the patients looked dead. They were passed out with IVs in their arms, and dripping liquid in plastic bags by their beds.

"Your dad was stabbed 5 times in the shoulder, and approximately 20 times in the groin. Somebody was trying to hurt him, obviously, if not murder him. Now, if you'd like to see your father before we get you to the police station, now would be the time."

Miles' heart almost stopped. He worried that he'd faint or something and be stuck in a hospital bed himself. The information barely processed, and as he thought over the nurses' words again, he realized something. "Wait, why am I being sent to the damn police station? What the hell?"

"Because, you're a suspect..."

(LATER)

Miles was pissed. So pissed that he didn't even bother to see his dad. He was a suspect in his father's attempted murder case. What the hell? Miles may have been spiteful at times, but he would never try to kill someone, let alone his own father.

He sat in an interrogation room and stared at the one sided mirrors. He'd watched enough Law and Order to know that all the detectives would be watching him, and he was supposed to think that the walls were just covered in mirrors.

Miles looked at his watch. It was now 10'o clock at night. Really? An interrogation over an innocent kid couldn't wait until the morning? He had been sitting there for about ten minutes before a short man in an ill-fitting suit came in with a cup of coffee in one hand, and a bottle of water in the other. "Mr. Hollingsworth, I got you some water. Figured you'd like it. You must be very tired."

_What was that supposed to mean? Tired from stabbing my father?_ Miles yelled in his mind.

Miles shook his head. "Not thirsty at all, actually."

The short man mouthed the word 'okay', and set the water in front of Miles anyway.

"So, why am I here?" Miles spoke, even though he knew why. He was there because some dumb-ass had stabbed his father, and Miles was the one who was 'there', so he must've done it.

"We're just here to talk about your father. So, you came home and found him bleeding?"

Miles nodded his head.

"Came home from where?" The man questioned.

"A date. I had a date this afternoon."

"Oh, well, isn't that nice?" The man's voice was one that you couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or sincere.

"Yeah, it was nice. Until I got home to see my dad like that."

Miles figured he'd just jump right in. He always hated small talk, and plus, he was actually pretty tired. And he wanted to call Maya. So, he wanted to make this quick.

"Yes, can you describe how you saw your father when you got home for me please?"

Miles scratched the back of his head, not wanting to recall it, but knowing it wasn't a choice.

"Uh, alright. So, I got home, my driver dropped me off, and I came in the door. I automatically knew something was wrong because when I came in, my dad was nowhere to be seen or heard. I was late, so I knew he'd probably lecture me, or, uh-something like that. So, I went into the kitchen cause I could hear the teapot, and there was hot water all over the stove and stuff. And I looked at the kitchen table and I saw my dad, and he was sitting in a chair, with his head on the table, and he said something like "Miles, why are you late?" Then he passed out. I saw the shoulder wound, but I didn't see the-uh, groin wound. I just called the cops after that."

The cop nodded. "Okay then, well, it's good that you remember. So, did you touch anything at the crime scene?"

Miles bit his lip, trying to remember. "Um, I don't think so. I sat on the floor, but it was the other side of the room."

The cop asked him a few more questions, but after those questions were answered quickly, the cop gave Miles a small smile, revealing a dimple on his left cheek. It reminded Miles of Maya. He was pretty sure Maya had a dimple on her cheek.

"Well, I think we've proven your innocence for the most part. I'm not saying you're free, but you can go for now after you answer this. Do you have any idea who would do this..?"

Miles bit his bottom lip and thought. His dad had a lot of enemies. "My dad was a politician, so honestly it could be anyone in the politics world, but, uh..." Miles thought to when he watched a Law and Order marathon and remembered that when a guy got stabbed in the crotch, it was usually a woman. "Um, since he had those, um, wounds down there, I'd say the person that you should check out is his wife. My step-mom, Madeline."

The cop nodded once again. "Thank you, Miles for all your help, and thank you for being cooperative about this. You're a very respectable kid."

Miles gave the cop a weak smile, and then he was set free.

Once Miles got outside, he felt his heart begin to hurt. He realized the gravity of the situation. Someone had tried to kill his dad. Tears formed in his eyes, and he checked his phone. Midnight. Would Maya be sleeping? It was worth a try..

He pulled her number out of his front pocket and dialed. It rang three times, then a sleepy voice said, "Hello?"

"Um, hey Maya...It's Miles...Listen, I don't know if you're awake, but, I...something happened." He tried to make his voice not shake, but it failed. "Um, can I come over to your house or something?"


	7. Chapter 7: Kisses, Sneaks, and Sleep

(MAYA)

"Um, hey Maya...It's Miles...Listen, I don't know if you're awake, but, I...something happened." He tried to make his voice not shake, but it failed. "Um, can I come over to your house or something?" Maya heard Miles speak on the phone.

"Oh, um, sure... I can sneak you in, um, I'll text you my address. Are you okay?" Miles sure didn't sound okay, and Maya was worried.

"I'll let you know when I get there." was all Miles said, and then the phone clicked. Maya bit her lip. It was midnight, and she had passed out waiting for Miles to text her. She quickly saved his number in her phone, and texted him her address. Then, she got up and looked in the mirror. Her hair had gone frizzy, she was still wearing her outfit from their date, and her eye-makeup was smeared.

She hopped out of bed, and picked up her room a little before addressing how gross she looked. She picked up every bra and stained sweatshirt off the floor, and stuffed them in a drawer. She covered up her Harry Styles poster and made sure her room looked decent.

Then, she pulled her frizzy hair up in a top-knot that actually looked pretty decent, and she took a wet washcloth to her face, removing all residue of makeup. She put on the slightest bit of mascara and lipgloss so she wouldn't look too gross, even though the focus wouldn't be on her. And last but not least, she took off the clothes from the day before, and put on her cutest pair of pajamas. A pink t-shirt with a purple treble clef on it, and purple silky shorts. Hopefully Miles believed she looked this cute when she slept.

She heard her phone 'bloop' letting her know that Miles had arrived. She snuck into the kitchen, and opened the back door quietly. Miles was standing there with red eyes and was still wearing his outfit from the date, but it looked more wrinkled and he looked less polished. "Come in," she whispered, and showed him to her room.

"I'm gonna get water for you." She spoke, quietly, and left him in her room, leaving the door cracked.

(MILES)

Miles looked around Maya's room and felt his stress fade a little. It was cute. The walls were a pink-ish white, and she had posters plastered all over the place. From pictures of cello players, to even a poster of Harry Styles that he found under a picture that was obviously placed there to hide it when he was over. It was cute how much Maya seemed to care what Miles thought..

He looked at a few framed pictures on her desk. One of Maya that looked like she was about 5, with strawberries in her hands and some strawberry smeared on her cheeks. One picture was of Maya hugging a slightly taller brunette that Miles guessed was her sister, and one picture of Maya on the back a boy that he didn't recognize, with her lips connected to his cheek. It looked like a recent picture. Was this her ex-boyfriend or something? Miles hoped not, because Maya looked genuinely ecstatic to be with him, and, Miles liked seeing Maya happy, but he wanted her happy with him, not some mystery guy.

(MAYA)

Maya walked in to see Miles looking at a picture of her and Cam. "Oh, um, that's nothing. That's just...nothing." She said, handing Miles a glass of water and taking the picture from his hand. She looked at it for a moment before setting it down, face down.

"So, what happened? You said something happened."

Miles' face seemed to drain of blood as he remembered whatever it was that had happened. "Um, oh, yeah, that."

Maya gave him a concerned look.

"My dad is in the hospital, um, someone stabbed him."

Maya's mouth turned into an 'o'. "What happened?"

"We don't know yet," Miles chewed at his lip, and tasted a bit of blood. "They're investigating it. I just came from the police station."

Thoughts ran through Maya's head. Why was Miles coming from the police station? Its not that she thought Miles had stabbed his dad, but, she didn't_ know._

"So, um.." Maya spoke nervously. "Who do you think did it?"

Miles shook his head. "I don't know, my dad makes a lot of enemies, but my moneys on my bitch step mom.."

Maya looked at Miles' eyes, and saw sincerity. She believed that Miles didn't do it. At least, she thought she did.

"So...um, how are you feeling about it?" She sat, indian style on her bed, and patted the spot next to her, and Miles took it.

"I don't know. I'm honestly so shaken up at the moment.. I just wish it didn't happen. Because I never got to be cute with you after our date. I didn't get to send a text with "I miss you" or something cheesy in it. I called you in tears, and that's stupid."

Maya put her hand on Miles' shoulder. "It's not stupid. I'm glad you thought of me. And..." Maya pulled out her phone and started typing.

"What are you doing?" Miles wondered out loud.

Maya's thumbs tapped on her screen, then she put her phone down, and waited. Miles' phone buzzed, and he picked it up and smiled. She'd sent a text that said "I miss you, or something stupid. :)".

"You're perfect." Miles whispered, pulling Maya in closer to him, and after a few seconds of looking into each others' eyes, Miles pressed his lips against Maya's.

"Barely." Maya whispered, then reconnected their lips.


	8. Chapter 8: Videos, Memories, and You

(MILES)

Miles heard Maya's voice slightly, but the world was still foggy. They'd both fallen asleep on Maya's bed. Maya was whispering something. What was it...? Wait, why was he sleeping on Maya's bed? Miles' eyes shot open, and he immediately looked at the clock on his phone. It was almost 4 in the morning! He wasn't sure when Maya's family woke up, but he'd have to try his luck. He got up and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to formulate a plan...

He looked at Maya once more, and heard what she was whispering. "Cam, don't." followed by "Why?" He furrowed his brow. Was Cam the guy in the picture? He'd have to bring it up later. Now he just needed to get out of Maya's home before anyone caught him.

He felt bad leaving Maya without any warning, so, he grabbed her phone and turned on the camera and pressed record. "Good Morning, beautiful. We kind of fell asleep last night. It's now about 4 in the morning, so I must leave you. But, you look cute when you sleep. Oh, and you snore. Now, I gotta go, but...you're amazing. Thank you for making my night better. It was the best night I'd had in a long time. Sweet dreams and text me when you stop being sleeping beauty!" He smiled, and turned the camera to Maya, and filmed himself giving her a kiss on the cheek, then waved the camera goodbye and set the phone down. That should be a nice thing to wake up to.

He pushed the door open slightly, and it creaked. His heart jumped, but, nobody was awake to notice. He snuck to the kitchen and saw a yellow sticky note on the table. There was neat black ink on it, and it said "Maya, Mom, and Dad, I went out to run, then to Marisol's. Text me if you need me. -Katie"

What kind of girl goes out and runs before 4 in the morning? Something was suspicious, but Miles didn't have time to figure it out. Anyway, maybe this girl was just crazy about running. Whatever it was, still weird. Miles was glad he'd fallen for the (seemingly) more sane sister.

Luckily the back door was still unlocked because of Maya letting Miles in, so he just slipped out. Once he was clear of Maya's house, he pulled out his phone and went to dial his father's number, but realized that he probably wasn't available. So, Miles called a cab and asked for a ride to the hospital.

(MAYA)

Maya woke up panicking. Miles and her had fallen asleep kissing at about 1am. She shot up out of bed, expecting to see Miles fast asleep, but he was gone. Or had he been there at all? No, she couldn't have dreamt a more perfect first kiss. Or first make-out session. Kiss sounds more romantic.

Maya checked the time. 8 am. She unlocked her phone and saw that it was open to a video. That didn't make sense... The only video she had on her phone was the one of CamHis last real words to her. But, now, there's a video with a thumbnail of Miles... She pressed play.

It was a video of Miles whispering to her phone, saying that she was cute and that she snored...Cam had included that too. It was him saying that they'd fallen asleep and that she made his night the best it'd been in a long time. Familiar, again. The last shot was of him kissing her cheek, then waving to the camera. She felt hot tears run down her face, going into her mouth.

She was smiling, but...still, it was...fresh. She swiped the screen to the right and it showed a thumbnail of Cam... She didn't have the strength to watch the video, so...she just opened a text to Miles.

"Good morning." She typed, as she wiped her face with her blanket.

(MILES)

Miles got to the hospital quickly. He hadn't been paying attention last night, but apparently Maya doesn't live far from the hospital. He gave the cab driver a very small amount of money for the short ride, and a decent tip.

He walked into the hospital, and it smelled disinfected. He guessed that at night, it's less clean than in the morning, because, last night it didn't smell this sickeningly clean. He walked up to a woman who was at a desk. She seemed busy, so he stood there until she noticed him. "Can I help you, young man?" There was an edge in her voice. It was only about 4:30 am, so he guessed she'd been there all night.

"Yeah, um, can I see my father? Miles Hollingsworth?" The woman took a moment. She seemed to be looking through files or something... Then she shook her head. "He's not allowed visitors right now. He has surgery soon and we're prepping him.

Miles raised his eyebrows. _Surgery? _

The woman, Miles read her name tag and saw her name was Pauline, stood there, as if to wonder if Miles was going to leave or not. "Um, okay... When can I visit him?" Pauline thought for a minute. "In his condition, it could be until at least tonight or tomorrow. And even then, the police have say in when he can be visited, and by who..." She almost looked suspicious, as if to wonder if Miles was the suspect in his father's crime.

"I've been interrogated, lady. I'm innocent." Miles spoke a little too loudly.

"Okay, calm down sir. If you don't, we'll have to escort you out. There are patients here who cannot be stressed out."

Miles rolled his eyes and turned on his heels. "Whatever." He grumbled, stomping out as dramatically as possible. He walked home. It was 5am before he got home, and when he did, his house was taped off with yellow tape. Great. He rolled his eyes and wished it was later so he could go to Maya's, but since he couldn't, he called Chewie.

The phone rang and a tired voice answered. "What is it? It's Sunday. My parents will wake me up for church in like, two hours. I need my sleep." "Well, I need to come over and shower. My house is unavailable for a reason I'll explain when I get there and you're my best friend. Come on.." Miles heard Chewie get up and stretch. "Fine, I'll tell my parents. You better have a damn good reason."

Miles smiled. "Thanks bro."

And, he called another cab. This time he barely had enough money for the ride, since Chewie's house was a little farther distance. He only tipped a dollar, and the cab driver mumbled something that Miles couldn't understand. He came and knocked on Chewie's door, and Chewie appeared almost immediately, with a red robe on and messy hair. "Really, robe? You're cool." Miles stated sarcastically. Chewie punched Miles' shoulder. "Shut up. Now, explain."

"And, that's why I'm here.." Miles finished, taking a breath. He'd just told Chewie everything that had happened, including Maya.

"Dude, who's the girl?"

"Really, Chewie? My dad gets stabbed and thats your first question?"

"Well, you included her, so, I figured it's important."

"Not right now."

Chewie's mom came into the kitchen yawning. "What is Miles doing here? It's only 6..Are you going to church with us?"

Miles shook his head. "I need to shower, Mrs. Chu. Winston, will you explain why I need to be here this morning and maybe tonight?"

Chewie nodded, wincing obviously at Miles calling him Winston. The last time Miles had did that was...well, never.

Miles patted Chewie's shoulder, and thanked Mrs. Chu. He made his way to the Chu's bathroom, stripped off his dirty clothes, and took a long, hot shower.

* * *

**Writer's note: Any ideas for the next chapter? Cause I have no idea. I think I might include Tristan and Owen cause that's been asked of me, but I'm not sure how to do that quite yet! Also, if I make any mistakes, please point them out to me. I don't know everything about the criminal justice system, no matter how many episodes of Law and Order I've watched, and I also avoid hospitals at any cost. So, all the details may not be right. I try my best. Google can only help so much. R&R! Thanks sweethearts. I love you all with my heart and soul! Also, my Owen + Tristan story will be up maybe tonight or tomorrow. Not sure yet. **


	9. Chapter 9: Words, Exchanges, and Plans

**In case you forget, the paris trip never happened. Just a little note letting you know. And omg this chapter is almost 3,000 words. I'm so sorry. Next chapter will also be up tonight so sorry for making your brain hurt I love you all so much bye :) R&R IF YOU LOVE ME TOO**

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(MILES)

Miles was finally let to see his father after a week of investigation. DNA, (and the security camera at the front door) proved that Miles had come to the scene approximately 20 minutes after the crime had been committed, so, he was innocent. It helped Miles' innocence, but it didn't exactly solve the case at all. When he got the call that he could definitely come and see his father, who was recovering, he wasn't sure how to feel.

Miles had been staying at Chewie's home for the past week, since he wasn't allowed at his house, and had not seen Maya since the grand accidental sleepover. In fact, he'd only gotten one call from her, and even that wasn't much. It was basically, "Thanks for the cute message, I had a good night too, glad that you left and didn't get into any trouble...Bye".

Miles arrived at the hospital about 20 minutes after he got the call, and it was about 6 pm. He felt a shakiness that he'd never felt in his life. His whole body was trembling, and he felt a sheen of sweat on his forehead. It wasn't hot, so it must've been nerves. But what for? He'd never been nervous for anything in his life...But yet, now... he wasn't sure.

He was lead into the room his father was in, and saw Mr. Hollingsworth unlike how he ever had seen him. He looked almost 20 pounds skinnier. His face was sunken in, the underneaths of his eyes were practically navy blue, and his lips were cracked and white. He looked...awful. Sick.

"Hey, dad." Miles barely croaked out, biting his bottom lip.

"I need to talk to you." Miles' father's tone with Miles was still the same. Like he was angry.

"Um, alright... anything. Uh, do you mind..?"

The nurse nodded his head and left them alone.

"What the hell did you let happen to me, you little dick?"

Miles' thought was correct. He was pissed.

"First of all, you leave without telling me, and don't come back until after sunset, which is against your rules, and I end up getting stabbed almost to death? Did you set this up? You can't get rid of me, you dick!"

And now, Mr. Hollingsworth was screaming, and the nurse came back in, saying that Miles was upsetting the patient, and that he needed to leave because it wasn't good for Miles' dad's health to be stressed out like this.

So, Miles nodded, "Okay, let me just say one last thing to the 'patient'."

The nurse reluctantly nodded, and walked to the door. Miles walked closer to his father, and mustered up the courage he never had in his life, and did what he always wanted to do.

"Fuck you, Dad! I fucking hate you! You're a waste of fucking air and I can't stand you! You abuse me, you scream at me, and you make me feel like nothing! I almost wish you would have just died when the person who was brave enough tried to get rid of you, you ass! I wish I could be with Mom, but you fucking drove her away by being completely stupid as hell, and...I'm done. I can't say anything else. I'm living with the Chu's until I find someone else to live with. I don't want to talk to you ever again, you piece of shit."

Miles' father was appauled. He was speechless, and Miles wouldn't have let him speak anyway. He barged out, knowing he'd be banned from ever seeing his father in the hospital ever again, but he didn't care. He got looks from everyone on the floor who could hear him yell, but he'd definitely stopped caring at that point.

Miles called Maya once he got home to Winston's house. There were tears in his eyes again. God, was Maya gonna be just a tear booty call? Somebody who he'd call whenever he needed someone to whine to?

(MAYA)

Maya was at Tristan's house. Why? She'd gotten a text from Owen saying to come whenever she could. He didn't explain, but she knew that it had to be something important. Something wrong with Tristan.

She arrived and was immediately let in by Owen. She looked around and saw that there were only a few familiar faces. Tori, who sat there looking worried, Zig, who looked uninterested, and a couple kids that worked on the play with Tristan. Owen clapped his hands, and Maya assumed that this meant everyone was here.

"Alright guys... So, you probably wonder why you're here with me. And why I invited six underclassmen to my house. Well, I invited you here for some sort of intervention shit for Tristan. He's been dating this creep and all they do is hook up and it's gross. So, Tristan needs to realize that he's messing up big time."

It was nice that Owen cared this much for Tristan, but, an intervention? Really?

"So, Tristan is on a date with Fab right now and he's gonna be back soon, hopefully, so...We can just chill here and talk and figure out what we're going to say." Owen spoke again, and Maya decided she needed to pull him aside.

"Owen, is this really needed? Tristan is young... He'll realize what he's doing wrong soon." Maya whispered, making sure the rest of the kids in the room didn't hear.

"No, Maya." This was one of the first times Owen had called Maya by her name, and it felt weird. But, it was kind of nice that he was being better. Nicer.

"Maya, we need to show him and tell him that what he's doing is not okay. He can't go around with a guy my age and be...they're probably having sex. I don't want to know about that and I don't want it to happen. It's not okay and I can't...I can't have it!"

Maya was surprised.

"Alright, Owen.. Well, he'll be here soon. We better get out there."

Maya would have talked more, but she couldn't find words. The guy she thought was a total ass, the guy she thought she disliked a lot, was actually not a bad guy. He was actually pretty great, actually. He reminded her of a male version of Katie, almost. She knew that Katie would do this if Maya were to date a guy who was 18...She figured Miles was probably about 15 or 16, she wasn't sure. Hopefully he wasn't 18... Maya realized how much she didn't know Miles.

As soon as Owen and Maya reappeared, Tristan came in the front door, hand in hand with none other than Fab.

The intervention began once Owen threw Fab out. By that time, Tristan was sobbing. Tori was holding him, telling him that it was okay, and cursing Owen, and Maya was standing there, watching it all unfold.

The people that Maya was unsure of their names all scattered and left during the big scene, and it was left with Zig, Tori, Tristan, Maya, and Owen. Zig still didn't care much, Tori was on Tristan's side now, and Owen was pissed and sweating from trying to get a surprisingly fit Fab out the door and fending off a very emotional, very over-dramatic Tristan.

When things finally settled down and people sat down, Maya wondered why she was here. Tristan called her a bitch. Tristan was rude to her and made her feel terrible. Why should she care if he ruins his life? But no matter how much she wished she didn't, she still cared about her best friend. No matter the stupid mistakes.

First was Owen. He went on for about 20 minutes straight about how dating Fab was unsafe and they didn't know each other and it wasn't a good idea. Tristan protested at every single remark that Owen made, but it was obvious in his words throughout the arguments that he was starting to wear down a bit. When Owen was finished, Tori stood and told Owen off in a very immature and un-educated way. She talked about true love and Chuck and Blair and some other TV and movie references that weren't relevant in any way shape or form, and Maya wondered why she was friends with Tori halfway through.

Zig just shrugged and said that if Tristan really likes Fab he 'guessed' it was cool and asked Owen if there was any chips or anything. Maya almost felt like laughing, just because Zig really didn't care and it was obvious that Tori dragged him there. The conflict between Maya, Zig, and Tori was kind of resolved without words after Cam died...

Maya didn't say too much about the situation. She told Tristan that it was his decision, not her's, but if she were him she'd get to know Fab before he just assumes he was in love. She thought of Miles a lot during her speech to Tristan, and she thought Tristan or Owen or somebody may have noticed that, since she was so passionate about something that she had never been passionate about before.

In the end, Tristan said he'd think about his relationship with Fab, but by the tone in his voice it didn't sound too sincere, but Owen took it. Tori was a ball of energy, and Zig went home. Tristan invited Tori and Maya to sleep over, and they both accepted. Maya and Tori called their parents and both got consent. It was now about 7 pm now, so they decided to rent a movie.

Just as they began watching their, (well, Tori and Tristan's) movie of choice, Maya's phone started ringing. The caller I.D. said Miles. Okay, it wasn't just Miles. It was Miles with a smiley face emoji beside it. She was just about to get up and answer it when Tristan grabbed her phone. "Ooh, who's Miles?" Maya rolled her eyes. "Please just give me my phone." Tristan ignored her and slid the screen to answer. "Hellooo, Miles!" Tristan spoke loudly.

(MILES)

Miles called Maya in a flurry of emotions. He was sobbing by the time his call was answered, and didn't even hear Maya say hello before he began ranting. "Maya, I'm a mess. Please, help me.. I fucked up a lot. I told my dad tha-" He realized that it wasn't Maya's voice who answered. "Who are you, dude?" His voice quivered as he asked. Another guy, a guy who sounded a bit girly, but still, another guy with Maya. Miles felt jealousy hit him like a huge wave in the ocean. The voice said coldly, "Who are you? Are you Maya's boyfriend? Are you 18? God, I swear if you're 18 I'm going to hit Maya! She's such a hypocrite!"

Miles got pissed. This guy was threatening to hit Maya! "Listen, asshole! You better not hit Maya! Who the hell are you?"

He felt his heart racing even more than he did when he was yelling at his father. At least with his dad, he knew it probably would happen at some point in his life. With Maya, he didn't even know that he'd have problems with it. It seemed so easy going.

"I'm not going to hit Maya, at least not hard. As long as you tell me who you are and your intentions with Maya." The voice said, more calmly. Was he joking? He shouldn't joke about hitting a girl. Especially not his Maya. Even if they weren't together.. God, Miles wanted to be together with Maya.

"I'm Miles..." He said, trying to be calmer, hoping that he was joking. "I'm 15 and I um, I like Maya a lot. She's really important to me. Now, please, let me talk to her." "I'm Tristan and I'm Maya's best friend. You can talk to her as soon as I'm done yelling at her for being a hypocritical biotch." Tristan had a voice that you couldn't tell if she was joking or not. Miles waited for the line to cut off, but it didn't. After about a minute of muffled talking, Maya was there.

"Listen, I'm sorry that Tristan is a psycho. It's been a long day. Whats up?" It was nice to hear Maya's voice, but by this time, Miles was in a terrible mood and couldn't even think about what he wanted to talk to Maya about. The tears on his face had dried and he was honestly mad.

"I'd rather not talk on the phone. I'm just gonna go to bed. Goodnight Maya. Maybe I can see you tomorrow."

And before Maya could respond, Miles hung up and went to bed, putting his phone on silent and avoiding every call from Maya. He wasn't sure why, but he was mad at her. Or maybe he was just mad at the world...

(MAYA)

Maya sat the rest of the night, sad. She wanted to go home or see Miles or anything. Just, not be at Tristan's. She was so mad at Tristan. Miles seemed mad at her, and it was Tristan's fault. She curled up and ignored Tori and Tristan and wished she could drive, since it wasn't safe to walk home at almost 9pm. She made an agreement with herself that she'd cut off Tristan and Tori sometime soon. She'd grown to hate both of them after Cam's death, and honestly, the only reason she'd stayed friends with them was because she had nobody else. But, now she might have Miles...and that was a good feeling.

In the morning, Maya got up and didn't say a word to Tori or Tristan, who were passed out in front of the TV. She just got up and packed up her stuff and checked for a text from Miles...nothing.

She checked the clock. It was almost 5 in the morning. She stepped out of Tristan's room, and saw that Owen's light was on. She decided to turn off the light for him. There was no way that Owen was awake at 5 am. He probably left them on last night, and knowing that the Milligans were pretty eco-friendly, she figured it was the right thing to do.

But she wasn't prepared for what she saw when she came to the door. She looked in and saw that Owen wasn't alone. He was sleeping in his bed with a girl in his arms. A familiar girl...

It couldn't be...

Katie.

Katie was in Owen Milligan's bed. They were as close as they could be, basically sleeping on top of each other.

Katie and Owen.

Maya's mind couldn't process it.

It was somewhere between cute and revolting. Maybe both. She liked Owen, but it was disgusting to think that Katie was probably hooking up with Owen... She pulled a disgusted face and made her way home, scrolling through her texts with Miles. There weren't many, but there was one that she hadn't noticed when she checked her phone in the morning. One from Miles.

"Meet me at The Dot at 10 for a breakfast date? I want to talk to you."

Miles wanted to "talk". That wasn't good. That definitely wasn't good. It meant he was probably saying that he didn't like Maya and thought they should just stop talking...

Maya got home and went back to sleep, setting an alarm for 9:30. Even if she didn't want to, she was going to face the fear and go ahead and deal with heart break. She fell asleep quickly. There was plenty to escape...


	10. Chapter 10: Flowers, Cam, and Coffee

_Omg this chapter is really small but it's kind of a fluffy filler even though story-changing things happen. Wooo, it's cute. Sorry, I may be biased but I believe it's actually adorable. I love Maya and Miles oh so much and yeaaaaah. Comment plot ideas down in da reviews so I can write what you want to read! Tell me what you think! Who do you want to see more of? Miles' dad? Chewie? Katie/Owen? (I know, they're weird, I'll definitely put them in somehow soon), Tristan? Ooo let me know, okay? You can also request any other character you think would fit in well with this story and, (DRAKE BELL VOICE) I'll find a way, I'll find a waaaay. Read my Owen/Tristan story and my Gracie/Adam story (If I ever freaking update it omg sorry) But R&R I love you all bye_

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(MILES)

Miles didn't sleep at all. At first, he was just angry. He cried a bit and thought a lot. Chewie periodically asked if he was okay, and Miles just waved him off.

When he was done with his fit, he started thinking about Maya and their date in the morning, and he automatically felt better. He had a plan. It was to ask Maya to be his girlfriend in a way she couldn't deny. He'd have to make it big and dramatic, and he knew exactly what he was going to do.

At about 9am, he finally got dressed. He wore an olive green button up shirt, dark blue jeans, and brown oxfords. His hair was maintained as much as it possibly could be without the products he usually used, since they were all still at his house, which was still off-limits until Miles found a guardian who would live there with him, which was about as likely as him talking to his father.

He stopped by a flower shop and got a bouquet of Maya's favorite flowers. He wasn't exactly sure what they were called, but he'd seen a picture of her holding them on Maya's wall and when Miles asked about them, she said that it was when her friend brought her a big bouquet. She hadn't specified which friend, but Miles didn't think much of it.

The bouquet was a lot smaller than the one in the picture, but it was what Miles could get from the shop. His credit card was declined, so he had to resort to cash, and all he had (without using up the money he needed for breakfast with Maya) was 30 dollars. So, he payed for what he could, and it was still a decent sized bouquet. He got to The Dot at about 9:45 and went ahead and ordered.

A vanilla bean flavored latte with the word 'beautiful' instead of a name written on it with sharpie, per Miles' request and a two dollar tip to the waiter, and a coffee for Miles. Two chocolate scones and an apple. Miles munched on the apple awaiting his date to arrive.

Once Maya arrived, Miles noticed a smile slowly creep on her tired face. It looked like she'd barely slept at all, though, she still looked gorgeous. She looked stressed out and sad, and Miles hoped silently to change that.

She read the word on the latte cup and gave Miles a giggle and a nervous kiss on the cheek. Miles pulled out the bouquet of flowers from under his chair, and her eyes lit up. But, in a sad way. Like it was bittersweet or something.

"Don't you like them? You said they were your favorite...Maybe I got the wrong flowers, they just look like that picture in your room..." Miles bit on his bottom lip watching Maya stare at the flowers with tears welling up in her eyes.

"No, no, thank you Miles.. It's just...nothing."

"No, tell me, Maya."

"The person who last gave me flowers like this was this guy who I dated... I'm not quite over it, I mean, I'm over him...It's-um, complicated. Very complicated."

"Cam." Miles slowly said, remembering her mumbling his name in her sleep.

"How did you know?" Maya seemed surprised and almost offended.

"You said his name in your sleep" Miles simply said, "Who is he?"

"My ex. He's um- We broke up. Well, he broke up with me by...committing suicide."

Miles' jaw dropped and it felt like it hit the floor.

"Oh, my god Maya. I'm...I'm so sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have done this. I wouldn't have gotten you the flowers or...you haven't moved on so I can just...forget about that."

"Forget about what?"

"I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend."

"Why aren't you now?"

"Because...Cam...? He killed himself... You can't be ready for a relationship."

Maya grabbed Miles' hand and took it in both of her hands from across the table. "Miles... I really care about you. You're the first guy I've really liked since Cam, and...you make me feel good. You make me happy and that's something I haven't felt in forever. I'm ready to be in a relationship now. It's been a while, and...I'm over Cam. I actually hate him with all of my heart. It's just hard to let someone go when they pass... I promise you, though, if you were to ask me out, I'd definitely say yes."

Miles was confused, but he thought for a minute and picked at his chocolate scone.

"Are you sure you're over Cam? I don't want to push you into a relationship that you're not ready for. I don't want to ruin 'us'... Cause I really like you, Maya."

"I really like you too, Miles Hollingsworth. I'd love to be yours."

Maya leaned over the table and gave Miles a kiss that seemed to last forever. It was heaven to Miles. Their lips fit together perfectly and it gave him butterflies. When had he ever had butterflies over a girl? Never...except with Maya.

The kiss must've lasted quite a while because Miles heard a voice say out loud, "Get a room, you two!"

They both laughed and pulled away.

"So, breakfast, m'lady?"

Maya giggled. "Sure thing, geek!"


	11. Chapter 11: Sisters, Smiles, and Hugs

Hey darlings! It's me, updating once again! I was trying to update my Owen/Tristan story and I got like over 2,000 words for the second chapter but I actually fell asleep on my laptop and I got up at like 4am in a panic thinking I'd get caught with my laptop that late on a school night and ended up actually closing the window without saving the document, so...I'll rewrite chapter 2 for that story probably tomorrow after school. But I'm going to update _this_ story every night for you guys because I love it. This is kinda a filler chapter in my opinion, and it's short. But I'm sleepy, so... I love you. Bye :) R&R for a free puppy. Or a free new chapter. If puppies run out, chapters will be given.

* * *

(MAYA)

"No, you're cuter!" Maya giggled to Miles over the phone. It had been a while since she was this happy in any way.

"Who the hell are you calling cute at 1am? Go to bed!" Katie yelled from the other room... Katie. Ugh. The girl who was dating Owen Milligan. Maya's sister who probably had sex with Owen. 'Don't go out with jocks! They're total assholes!' Yeah, what a hypocrite. Owen was nicer than the average jock, but still.

"I gotta go." Maya whispered to the phone, and then made a kissy noise before she pressed the red 'end' button.

"At least I can stay in the house at night!" Maya called back, not even thinking. 'Oh, crap' Maya thought, knowing she'd just released information that she should not have known.

Katie barged into Maya's room, shutting the door tight behind her. "What did you just say to me?"

"I said...nothing." Maya shrunk into herself knowing she'd just gotten in deep trouble with her older sis.

"No, what did you say?"

"I said...at least I can stay in the house at night."

"Where did you get the idea that I don't stay in the house?"

"I-um, I saw you with Owen. In his bed. The night that I slept at Tristan's."

"Oh, my god..." Katie had her hand on her forehead and she was pacing.

"What, Katie? You can't think of an excuse for sleeping with my best friend's brother, who, happens to be a jock? You hate jocks, don't you? Then why are you in bed with one?"

Their argument was in whispers, but it was still bad.

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" Katie snapped back.

"Oh, yeah? I think it was self explanatory!"

"But it wasn't, you brat!"

Katie was actually close to tears... Maybe they hadn't hooked up... Or, they broke up? Maya knew it wasn't possible to get an answer out of Katie right away, so she knew she'd have to pry and beg a lot. But, surprisingly, she didn't have to pry at all. Katie sat down next to Maya and opened up.

"I relapsed on my addiction to pain medicine, and I called the Milligan house to get you since your line was busy, and Owen answered. I was crying so he figured it out and came and got me and I ranted in the car and he told me that his ex, Anya, a girl I knew kind of, was addicted to cocaine and though, of course pain killers and coke aren't the same thing...We ended up talking in his car for like an hour or two until I fell asleep and he carried me in and I asked him to stay with me. I'm not freaking dating him. I had a terrible night and he was there. He's not too bad, by the way..."

Maya had tears in her eyes now. Her sister had relapsed on her pain medicine addiction. Why?

"Why did you relapse?"

Katie shook her head. "I was just...I had a migraine and so I took some aspirin about a week ago and it just...got me thinking about a lot of things and then my knee started hurting for some reason so I figured I'd have to take some pain medicine for it and... I didn't realize what I was doing, and...I don't want to go to rehab again, Maya. I can't. It was hell there."

Maya nodded her head slowly.

"But are you going to need the help?" Maya questioned. She didn't want her sister in rehab again any more than Katie wanted to be in rehab, so, if Katie was going to be okay she didn't see a need to report it.

"I'm fine. I have Owen as support. A supportive friend. Nothing more. We just kind of got caught up in the moment and...I don't really have feelings for him...Okay, maybe I do, but he's absolutely head over heels for Anya still, so it wouldn't matter if I liked him or not."

Maya furrowed her brows and tried to decide if she would support Owen and Katie if Owen felt the way Katie apparently felt.

Maybe under the right circumstances.

The two sisters hugged for a couple minutes, then Katie pulled back and smiled. "So, who's the guy you've been spending time with and talking on the phone with non-stop?"

Maya rolled her eyes, "Was it that obvious?"

"May, you literally smile every time you look at your phone. I haven't seen you this happy since you were with..."

Cam. Cam was the finish to that sentence, but Katie knew Maya didn't want to hear that name out loud. Maya swallowed the thought of Cam like a spoonful of cinnamon, and decided to focus on the positive instead.

"His name is Miles. He's a sophomore at Degrassi like me, and he's gorgeous and sweet and I really care for him." Maya said, as she scrolled though her phone finding a picture of Miles.

"Oh my God, Maya! He's gorgeous! Is he wearing a suit? Are you dating a rich guy? Ooh, gold digger!"

The Matlin sisters erupted in laughter, obviously both envisioning Maya like the gold diggers in movies. Low cut shirts, plastic boobs, globs of makeup... Not cute, but... guys seemed to like it. Maya wondered if Miles was into that kind of girl. Apparently not since he likes a girl with the chest of a 9 year old who dresses in crew neck t-shirts that usually have to do with music.

"So, when are you gonna bring him for dinner?"

Maya hadn't even thought of introducing Miles to her family. She'd never had Cam over for dinner and her parents had only met Cam once and even that encounter was terribly awkward.

"I dunno. He has a lot of stuff going on right now with-uh, family and stuff.. So, maybe once that clears up..." Maya didn't think Katie needed to know about the stuff with Miles' dad.

"Okay, well, lets hope his personality is as good as his looks"

"I promise, it is. Now, you promise you're okay, big sis? I love you."

"I promise, little sis. I love you too."

Katie left the room with that, and Maya pulled out her phone and typed out a text message.

**Would u want to meet my parents sometime soon?:) Dinner at Casa De Matlin or something? **

It only took Miles about a minute to reply with...

**Sounds splendid. Time and place, my sweetheart. Going to bed, sweet dreams beautiful. **

Maya slept with a smile on her face.


	12. Chapter 12: Songs, Miss Steaks and Love

Hi guys so it's 1am so I'm writing this in a delirious kind of state and it's not much of a chapter really I don't think, so...Yeah. Have fun. Fun fact: I've been an Arianator (Ariana Grande fan) since 2010, so I knew I had to add some sort of Ariana thing into this. Hahaha :) R&R TELL ME WHAT U WANNA SEE NEXT, MA DARLINGS! I love you all so much! Byeeee.

* * *

(MILES)

Miles and Maya had planned a date. Miles borrowed Chewie's favorite bow tie without asking, and put it on with a white button up. He personally thought it looked kind of dumb, but he thought Maya would like it. He wasn't sure why, but something about a bow tie screamed, 'Maya!'.

The date they were going on was at the local restaurant that Miles had heard people talk about over and over and over and...well, you get it. He'd never been because his father was way above chicken fingers or milkshakes. The only time Miles got junk food was while traveling with his mother.

The restaurant was called 'Little Miss Steaks', and Miles wasn't sure what the joke was, but apparently it was pretty funny if a restaurant was named that. It was Maya's choice. She said it was a surprise why they had to go that night, so Miles hoped it was some kind of event. But, Maya wouldn't give him a hint. They'd been texting all day and all night, but no hints. It was actually aggrivating. But in a cute way. Like a squirrel running in front of your car. You wanted to be mad, but you couldn't because it was cute.

(MAYA)

Maya put on her favorite outfit for karaoke night at Little Miss Steaks. She went every week and it was always fun, so she figured maybe Miles would like it. She had no idea if he liked to sing, but if he didn't, he probably still would sing with her. Like Cam did...

Maya's favorite outfit was a pair of paisley grey and black jeggings, a black v-neck, and her black Doc Martens. It seemed dark, but Maya really liked it and thought it made her look edgy. She wanted to be edgy. She didn't want to be the goody goody who dressed like everyone else because that was what was cool...Even if she kind of liked the current fashion, she usually didn't follow it.

"Ready?" She typed to Miles. "Ready as ever. :)" He typed back and Maya swooned. Their relationship was so...good. She loved being happy with Miles Hollingsworth. It was...happier than ever, or at least in a while.

Maya got a ride from Katie, who picked Miles up from Winston's address. Maya refused to say 'Chewie'. She thought it was dumb, even if it was kind of cute because Miles made it up.

Katie and Miles meeting wasn't as awkward as expected. Miles was a gentleman without being a suck-up. He complimented her raven black hair and said it was a nice color on her. Maya actually saw Katie blush, and made a mental note to slap her later. _'Mine. My boyfriend.'_ Maya thought quietly, as her fingers interlaced with her boyfriend's.

"By the way, I didn't want to be weird, but I love your bow tie." Maya saw a smile creep on his face. "I knew you would." She got on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek.

As we stepped in Little Miss Steaks, terrible singing was automatically heard. "By the way, it's Karaoke night and we're singing a song."

Miles laughed.

"I'm not kidding!" Maya spoke louder.

"Oh...shit. Yeah, that's not happening." He said, as a waitress I didn't recognize seated us.

"Yeah, right." I thought back to when Campbell said he wouldn't sing. He did. Different guy, same scenario. Way different guy.

The night consisted of small chat about school, books they'd read, Chewie's family's ridiculous rules, music and how cute the other was. They were on about their 30th time saying "No, you're cuter!" When the Deejay for the Karaoke got up on the small stage and said, "Any volunteers?" Maya grabbed Miles' hand before he could react.

"What song?" The Deejay asked Maya.

"The Way by Ariana Grande."

The man just smiled, and Miles gave Maya a look. He knew the song, yes, but he'd never admit it because that was girly.

"You know the rap, at least." Maya poked Miles' shoulder.

Miles shrugged slightly, again, pretending he didn't.

The song started and a smile appeared on both of their faces, and Miles started with the rap, stumbling only a little on the words, but staring at his girlfriend the whole time, putting his hands on her hips and she laughed.

**"I think about her every second, every hour, do my singin in the shower pickin petals off of flowers like, **

**do she love me do she love me not?**

**I ain't a player I just crush a lot.."**

Maya started singing**. **

**"You give me that kind of somethin', want it all the time need it everyday,**

**On a scale of one to ten I'm at a hundred, never get enough, I can't stay away,**

**So if you want it, I got it, I got it everyday, you can get whatever you need from me, **

**Stay by your side, I'll never leave ya, and I ain't goin nowhere cause you're a keeper," **

Miles joined in on the chorus quietly.

**"So don't you worry, baby you got me...I gotta bad boy I must admit it, **

**You got my heart dunno how you did it,**

**And I don't care who sees it babe, I don't wanna hide the way I feel**

**when you're next to me,**

**Baby I love the way, I love the way..."**

When the song was done they got applause from the audience, and Miles did a bow, and Maya curtsied. They both got off the stage laughing and holding hands.

The couple paid for their dinner, (well, Miles did) and headed out holding hands again. They stopped against a car and kissed for a while. When they came up for air, Miles decided it was confession time.

"Maya, I think I love you."

Maya backed up with a paralyzing fear. She knew that saying I love you too early was going to be bad. But...maybe she did love Miles. She didn't know. It had been 3 months since they met in real life, a week or so since they started dating...Too early to say, honestly. But..Maya could love Miles. Apparently the silence killed Miles because he was looking at the ground.

"I get it, I shouldn't have said that."

"No, Miles, wait..."

"What, Maya? I just made an ass of myself. God damn it!" He kicked the tire of a car.

"No, you didn't, just calm down."

"Okay..." Miles said slowly, trying to calm himself.

Unluckily, he'd gotten his father's temper, but luckily, he'd learned to control it much better.

"Tonight was fun. Don't feel the pressure to say you love me if you don't."

Maya just nodded, still unsure if she loved Miles or not. She knew she liked him quite a lot, but love? It was very...quick to say that.

The rest of the night had an awkward tension, but it was still fun. They kissed a lot, held hands or held each other, but it was just a little off. When Katie dropped Miles off, she told Maya that she'd noticed they were off.

"What for?" Katie asked, quizzically.

"Um nothing. Just, a weird conversation."

"Tell meeeeee, now your big sis is curious. I promise I'll have advice!"

As if Katie's advice was a great big reason to tell Katie your personal life details. But, Maya needed to talk to someone and Tristan and Tori were out of the question, so...

"He said he loved me." Maya admitted.

"Woah, wow...That's um...How long have you known him?"

"A few months."

"Too soon. Did you say you love him too?"

"No, I didn't."

Katie sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. That would've been...weird."

The rest of the car ride was just listening to the radio. The Way came on and it reminded Maya of Miles and she smiled. Maybe she did love Miles after all...She just needed to think.


	13. Chapter 13: Backstabs, Bitches, and BFFN

Oh my goodness I'm terrible I wrote this chapter a couple days ago & left it in my documents forgetting to post it. Then I've been busy. My boyfriend has been really not feeling well, so I have had things to think about and when I had time I had to sleep. I'm here now though, posting this chapter that was pre-written, then writing one or two more before bed. So sorry for being terrible and not updating promise you still love me.

* * *

(MILES)

Miles rolled his eyes as Chewy threw shirt after shirt across the room, standing at his closet. "Stop being a girl and choose one, bro." Miles said, tapping away at his phone, texting none other than Maya, of course.

"It's harder than you think! Not everyone has movie star looks, 200 dollar threads, a rich politician dad and a mansion. I have to rely just on my personality.

Miles was annoyed by that comment. "First of all, dude, the shirt I'm wearing? Sale. 20 dollars. The only 200 dollar clothes I have are suits. So, you can shut up. Second of all, do you want my dad?" Chewy shook his head, of course. "And third... I'm living with you, not my house."

That shut Chewy up and made him choose a shirt. Now they were both ready to go to The Dot for a double date. Maya was meeting Miles there, and Chewy was taking out some new actress chick from West Drive. Her name was Zoe and from what Miles had heard, she was a complete bitch. He'd only seen her once at the FeFe Dobson concert and they hung out a little, but there was so many people, it wasn't anything serious. They hadn't even exchanged a word with each other.

The two teenage boys took Chewy's dad's car to The Dot to meet the girls.

Maya and Zoe didn't know that it'd be a double date. Chewy and Miles decided that it wasn't a good idea to tell them ahead of time. According to Maya, she'd met Zoe and didn't like her. Something about being stuck up and trying to steal her best friend. Zoe had told Chewy that Maya was boring and ugly... Girl drama was stupid to both boys, but they were each other's wingmen and best friends. They figured they could figure something out so Zoe and Maya could be civil...

Miles had hoped this would be drama free, and Chewy had promised it would be, but...alas, when they got to The Dot, they found Maya and Zoe standing in front of each other, exchanging insults. Great. They were keeping their hands to themselves, so maybe it could still be stopped.

"You're such a bitch!" Maya said, a bit too loudly, and Miles took her hand and lead her outside, glaring at Zoe and Chewy. "Yeah, but at least guys think I'm hot, tomboy!" Zoe replied as Maya and Miles exited.

"No, don't touch me! How could you?!" Maya said, brushing Miles' touch off her hand.

"What are you talking about, love?" Miles furrowed his brows. Why was his girlfriend acting like this?

"You were going to go on a date with Zoe? What the hell? We're dating and you do that to me?"

Oh. Apparently Zoe had the bright idea to convince Maya that she was going on a date with Miles to piss her off. Man, she really was a bitch! She was no longer cute in Miles' eyes. She was plain out evil.

"I would never do that to you! Would you really trust her? If you hate her so much? She's on a date with Chewy, Maya!" Miles said, motioning to Chewy and Zoe who were now sitting at a table making googly eyes at each other. Oh, Chewy was definitely not going to stay with this witch.

"I-I guess you're right... I'm sorry, it's just..." Maya grabbed her hair with her hands. "She makes me so mad! I just wanna punch her!"

Miles took Maya's arms down and put his hands on her tiny hips. He liked her tiny frame. It wasn't too much or too curvy, just little enough without being like a little kid. "I..." Miles wanted to say he loved her again, but remembered that she wasn't ready for that. "I care for you too much. Now, let's go get something to eat. We don't have to sit with them."

Maya nodded, and as they walked in, gave Zoe a death stare. The whole meal, Maya and Miles decided to make a point of being as lovey-dovey as possible to annoy Zoe. It worked pretty well, because Zoe started stabbing her caesar salad with a fork in the middle of her date. It was terrifying, but hilarious.

At the end of their dates, Chewy and Miles met up, and Maya went home. Zoe said she was going to stay and study a bit, pointing to her bag. They all parted ways, and there was no more drama...

Miles realized about half way through the ride home that he'd left his wallet at The Dot. "Just turn around real quick, I promise I'll just run in and grab it. I have to pee anyway, and knowing your dad and the tacos that were for dinner last night...I'd rather go to the bathroom at The Dot." Both teenage boys chuckled at the bathroom joke and Chewy turned the car around and let Miles go into the cafe to grab his wallet.

Miles jogged into The Dot and immediately saw Zoe. "Hey there, Miles." Zoe spoke in this dramatically seductive voice that made Miles cringe. "Yeah, hey." He said, absent minded-ly as he made his way to the table he sat with Maya at. The wallet wasn't there.

"Looking for something?" Zoe spoke in the annoying seductive voice, holding up his wallet. "Yeah, thanks." Miles said, reaching for the wallet.

"Not so fast!" Zoe said, pulling the wallet away. "First, I need a favor... Follow me." Zoe spoke, grabbing her things and walking outside... Miles had no choice but to follow her. Either that or lose his credit cards, all his cash, his I.D...Everything.

Zoe lead him to the alley behind The Dot. There was two dumpsters. That was it. Was she going to make him go dumpster diving or something? Miles was not wearing shoes that were ready to get dirty... That made him seem materialistic, but seriously...They were nice.

"Now, all I want is a little..." Zoe ran her fingers down Miles' chest and down to his belt... "Make-out sesh. Nobody has to know. Not your precious Maya, not Winston.." This reminded Miles of a bad movie. "No."

"Fine, no wallet!" Zoe said, dangling his wallet over one of the dumpsters. He shrugged, knowing he'd have to dig in the dumpster, but looking through trash was better than kissing it...

"Damn it, kiss me!" Zoe said, throwing Miles' wallet on the ground, grabbing his collar, and pulling him against her. She put his hands on her hips and pulled him tight to the wall. That's when Miles saw camera flashes.

God damn it!

There were paparazzi!

Miles forgot that the dumb bitch was famous. "Get the fuck off of me, bitch!" Miles said, shoving Zoe to the ground, grabbing his wallet, and running to the car.

"Your bitch ass girlfriend just forced me to make out with her for paparazzi. So now...I'm gonna lose Maya. Why the fuck do you like her?" Miles said, once he got in the car.

"She did what?!" Chewy responded, starting the car.

"She had my wallet, then she was like, 'I need a favor!' and lead me to the damn alley and then when I wouldn't kiss her she pulled me on top of her on the wall and...god damn it this sounds so fake, Maya's gonna think I'm lying! There were photographers! Fuck, I'm screwed!"

Chewy was steaming now, as he drove furiously. "Why did you kiss my girlfriend?"

Great, Chewy thought it was a lie. Miles' best friend in the entire world didn't believe him, what was the chance of Maya believing him?

"Get the hell out of my car. Find a new place. I don't care where, just fuck off. Get your shit some time soon. I want you out of my house."

Miles angrily hopped out of the car once Chewy stopped, and flicked his 'friend' off as he sped away. He was mad at the world. Why would Zoe do this? Revenge on Maya? Well, it was stupid as hell.

Now, Miles had no idea where to go.

He had nobody..Well, he had Maya, but not for long... He pulled out his phone and dialed Maya's number. Better to just rip the bandage off now...


	14. Chapter 14: Whores, Mister, and Meetings

(MAYA)

"Wait...What?!" Maya could barely understand her boyfriend as he was sobbing on the phone. Maya knew this wasn't just sad crying, he was mad too. She could tell by the amount of curse words Miles slipped in. The words she heard were...

"Zoe...set up...wallet...kiss...wall...camera...Chewy...homel ess..."

Zoe set up something with Miles... That bitch!

"What did she do to you, Miles?" Maya spoke nervously. She'd heard the word kiss too...

"Z-Zoe, she set up this thing where she took my wallet and...she fucking took me to a damn back alley with garbage fucking shit ass cans and she tried to kiss me and...she got paparazzi that took pictures that look like I fucking pinned her to a damn wall I'm so sorry Maya..."

Maya hung up on Miles.

It's not that she was mad, she just needed to process this. Zoe had kissed Miles.

That bitch took it a step farther and actually KISSED Miles. Maya ignored the next 3 calls from Miles, but when the voicemails began sounding more desperate, she called him back.

"It's okay, Miles...I know you wouldn't hurt me.." Maya at least hoped this was true.. "Now, what happened with Chewy after the...Zoe...thing?"

"He got pissed and kicked me out of his house... After everything I've done for him. We've been friends forever, and he dumps me as a friend over some bitchy girl he went on one date with!" Miles was still ranting.

"So, where are you gonna stay now? I mean, your dad is still in the hospital, right?"

"Yeah, and even if he wasn't, I'm never talking to him again." Oh, yeah. Maya forgot that Miles hated his dad for a reason he still hadn't explained to her.

"Um, so...Who then?" Maya was ready to offer up the guest room of her house, but that would mean she'd either have to lie to her parents and say Miles was just a friend, or tell them that they'd been dating for a while. Katie would freaking interrogate Miles so much, and Maya's parents would probably be upset that Maya didn't tell them, and probably upset that she's dating someone new. They still didn't think Maya was 'ready' after Cam. Even though she'd kissed Zig and Harry since then, and really was over Campbell...

"I don't know. I still don't know many people from Degrassi, and everyone from my old school is out of district for Degrassi, so I couldn't stay there. I really don't have anyone." A tone in Miles' voice told Maya he wanted her to offer him a room at her home, but he was too scared to ask. And Maya was too scared to offer.

"Well, why don't you calm down and come over. You can have dinner at my house and...meet my parents. Maybe they'll have some advice or something...?" Really, she hoped that Miles would be open about his situation with his father in the hospital and _they'd_ offer the guest room. Maya could only hope. "That sounds perfect, Maya...Are you sure you're not mad?"

"Uh-huh." Maya replied, though she was still unsure if she was mad or not. She knew she was mad at Zoe, but should she be mad at Miles? Should she doubt Miles? She didn't know his type...Maybe he was a player and knew that Maya cared too much to let him go over something if he says it wasn't his fault.

But, Maya assured herself Miles was too nice to be like that. She hoped he was.

* * *

(MILES)

With nowhere to go, Miles had to return to his house. It was still the same. The crime tape had disappeared, there was a car in the driveway as there was when Miles had last been there, so he figured nobody was there.

He came in like he normally did, and it was eery how quiet it was...But, there still was a noise that Miles didn't recognize. It seemed like someone was in the house, but...who?

Miles went up to his room and changed his clothes. He sprayed cologne on himself, and noticed the noise was louder. He decided to investigate. He opened the guest room door. Nobody. The closet. Nothing. The bathroom was empty. His dad's bedroom...Holy shit.

There was his step mom Madeline, naked in bed, covered by a thin blanket, smoking a cigarette next to a guy Miles didn't recognize. "What the fuck?!" Miles yelled.

"Why are you here, you shit!?" Madeline yelled, covering herself with the bed comforter that was wrinkled.

"I'm here cause this is my damn house, you whore!" Miles screamed, coming over and taking the cigarette from her fingers and putting it out in the ash tray that had been newly placed on the bedside table. "Get out! I wouldn't be surprised if you tried to kill my dad!"

The woman just rolled her eyes. "Come on, Freddy." She said, giving him a kiss on the jaw. Disgusting. "If you wouldn't mind, kid, me and my Mister need to get dressed. So, unless you want to take a ride on this," She gestured to her plastic surgery enhanced, ugly, tan body, "I'd get out!"

"I wouldn't have sex with you if it would save the human race. Now get out." Miles threw a pile of clothes at the two disgusting adults. "You disgust me! I knew you were a whore from the minute my dad introduced me to you. Goddamn trophy wife.."

The woman didn't say another word, she just shooed Miles out of the room, and after a couple minutes, she emerged with her 'mister'. A man with a thin face, thick eyebrows, squinty eyes, and a receding hairline. Miles guessed that he was rich.

"I'm changing the locks. You're never stepping foot in this house again!" Miles said, as Madeline and the man, 'Freddy', exited the house. Madeline took Miles' father's car, so Miles reported it stolen and finished getting ready, then headed to Maya's.


	15. Chapter 15: Dinner, Truth and Accept

(MILES)

Miles arrived at the Matlin house bearing gifts. And by gifts, they might have been very nice things from his own home that he wrapped up nicely, but...They weren't technically used. A soccer ball signed by David Beckham for Katie, the soccer lover, a nice crystal bowl for Mrs. Matlin, a rare apple cider flavored wine for both Matlin parents, and for Maya? A cello bow that had been in Miles' family for centuries. There were many different instruments and such that were really beautiful, but Miles figured the cello bow would be most appropriate for Maya. Also, Miles always thought it was most beautiful. There were engravings on it that had always enchanted Miles, even as a little kid.

He gave the gifts to the Matlins and watched them be amazed. He didn't give the gifts to butter them up, he just wanted to thank them for making Maya who she was...

After the gifts were over, Maya said what both Matlin parents were thinking. "Miles is my boyfriend. We're very happy together..."

Mrs. Matlin mumbled something to Katie about 'readiness', but Katie just whispered back, "Trust me." Miles liked Katie in the least creepy way. She was a really nice sister. Mr. Matlin shook Miles' hand in that annoying way that was in every movie. When the dad basically breaks the boyfriend's hand..But, Miles didn't care. He was just happy to be with Maya.

The dinner was nice. The conversation was light. Miles made many jokes that made the Matlins laugh, but one in particular about a cow made Maya spit her water out on her mashed potatoes. Most people would be disgusted, but it made Miles fall for Maya more. One joke about an owl saying 'hoo' made Maya look at her plate quietly. He'd expected that to be a big hit with her, since she was very owl-like in the cutest way possible, but she didn't laugh. She just gave a half-hearted smile and looked down. Miles wondered if owls were a sore subject or something. He envisioned an owl attacking her at the zoo and felt bad. Even if it didn't happen.

Katie left shortly after dinner to go to a movie with someone, she didn't say who. Maya poked Katie and said something like 'Garden boy!'.

After Katie left and dinner dishes were cleaned up, Maya and Miles gave each other a knowing look. Even if they hadn't discussed it, they both knew it needed to be asked.

"Listen, Mom, Dad, can me and Miles talk to you?"

"Miles and I" Mr. Matlin corrected, and then nodded.

"I hope it's nothing bad!" Mrs. Matlin said, getting up out of her wheelchair and using the arm supports to get to the couch next to Mr. Matlin.

"Not exactly.." Miles spoke up, and Maya seemed shocked that he was actually going to talk. Maya had probably assumed that Miles would just sit quietly.

"Um, so..My dad got attacked a few weeks ago and I've been living with my best friend...But, something happened between me and my friend, just a personal spat, and uh, I need some advice." Miles spoke, without a shake in his voice. "I need to find somewhere to live and I was wondering if you could help me figure that out."

"Where's your mother...If you don't mind the question..." Mr. Matlin asked quizzically.

"She um, left a while back. When I was younger."

"I see, well I'm sorry to hear about all of this. You seem like a lovely young man, and..."

Mr. Matlin paused, and the two parents looked at each other. It was as if they were talking telepathically. After about a minute, Mrs. Matlin turned to Miles and Maya.

"If you'd like, you can live here for the time being. We have a guest room. But there will be conditions."

The two teenagers nodded, interlocking their fingers together and squeezing each others' hands. They needed to stay calm and not smile too much. Even if they weren't going to do anything sexual or anything, living together was still...exciting.

"You two will not sleep in the same room. If we catch you guys in each other's rooms, consequences. If you are in the same room during the day, doors stay open. We will be keeping our eyes on you, and so will Katie."

Miles and Maya nodded.

"Now, Miles, if you need to get your things, I can take you to get them. Maya, you should go take a shower while we're gone." Mr. Matlin said. Miles guessed Mrs. Matlin was probably very tired. Either that or she had to have some type of girl talk with Maya.

Maya nodded and Miles went with Mr. Matlin, first to Chewy's to get the things that were already on the front steps, then to his house to get a few more things.

Mr. Matlin were amazed by Miles' home. It really was a nice place, and Miles forgot that. He was glad to see that in the few hours that Miles was gone, Madeline had not returned, but the car she'd taken had. Either she somehow got some kind of good bone in her body and returned it or she got pulled over. Either way, there was no evidence of the whore.

Miles packed quickly as Mr. Matlin examined the house a bit. "Your home is truly beautiful. Now, will you move back when your father is better?"

Ah, the question Miles was hoping they wouldn't ask.

"Not if I don't have to..." Miles replied, putting his shampoo and hair products in his bag.

"Why is that?" Mr. Matlin asked, staring at the woodwork on Miles' dresser.

"My dad...He abused me. A lot. Verbally and physically. When I went to see him in the hospital I told him off and now even if I somehow stopped hating him, if I were to live with him again, I'd literally fear for my life. We really don't get along."

Mr. Matlin's jaw all but slammed into the floor. "Oh, Miles."

"Yeah, so...I'll find a place to live soon. I won't burden you guys too long." That statement came out a lot more pathetic than Miles had intended, but Miles could honestly probably say any cheesy thing and Mr. Matlin would totally be fine with it. He'd probably just offer Miles a hug.

"You're not a burden. You're a very nice young man and you're welcome as long as you need. As long as you don't hurt my daughter." Miles felt like Mr. Matlin was a very nice man.

Once Miles had his things packed up, they headed back to the Matlin house. Mrs. Matlin was asleep apparently, and Maya was passed out on the couch. "Want me to grab her?" Miles asked, and Mr. Matlin sympathetically nodded. "Sure, just drop her off in her bed and go on to bed, Miles. Goodnight. Get good sleep." Miles nodded, scooping his girlfriend up. Her hair was wet and she was in . His guess was that she'd taken a shower, gotten in and tried to wait on the couch for Miles and her father to get home. She was so cute.

She was awoken a little when Miles was carrying her, and she just looked up and smiled. God, she was pretty.

"Goodnight, beautiful." Miles whispered, setting Maya on her bed. He remembered this bed from their first kiss.

"Hey, don't leave." Maya mumbled sleepily as Miles started to walk away.

"I have to, May. I can't stay in here or I'll be kicked out."

"Okay, fine. Just...a kiss. Please?"

Miles smiled and leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. The magic was sure as hell still there...

"Goodnight now." Miles said, kissing her forehead and making his way out.

"Miles wait."

"Yes?"

"I love you..."

"I love you too, Maya."


	16. Chapter 16: Rumors, Comfort and Revenge

Hi guys! Sorry I'm not keeping up with my promise of updating every night. I'm trying very hard. This chapter kind of sucks but I'm uploading a NEW STORY YAY! I decided I'm gonna try to keep updating this one daily/every couple of days, the Owen/Tristan one every week and I'm not sure about the new one. It's a Cam one! Yayy! Okay enjoy.

* * *

(MAYA)

It had been a week since Miles had moved in, and Maya was still getting used to it. Now she couldn't walk around with no pants or get out of her room with frizzy bed head or skip brushing her teeth in the morning. Having her boyfriend living in her house was nice, but it was also hard to pretend to be Miss Perfect all the time. Miles seemed to wake up looking like an angel every morning.

Maya had tried to look good in the morning, but it was Monday and it was her time of the month. So, she was a bit cranky. She woke up late and barely ran a brush through her hair. Her blonde locks that could usually be contained were a mess. She ended up braiding it to the side and ignoring the fly-aways. Make up just wasn't gonna happen, since it was almost time to leave, so she just wiped off yesterday's mask of makeup and put on some black mascara. A pair of maroon tights and an olive green muscle tank with studs on the sleeve. Good enough.

Maya poured herself a bowl of cheerios and sat down at the breakfast table. Katie must've noticed her mood because she didn't say her usual insults about her hair or outfit. Usual older sister things.

"Hey, beautiful." Miles spoke, kissing Maya on the forehead at the breakfast table. "Watch yourself, tiger. Maya's in a bad mood." Katie laughed, and Miles sat down. "Why's that?" Miles asked curiously, and Maya didn't respond. She just pushed her bowl away. "Nothing. We should get going if we don't want to be late." Maya walked away, and heard Katie whispering. She guessed that Katie was explaining Maya's 'condition'. Ugh.

When Maya and Miles got dropped off by Katie, they walked into school hand in hand. They'd tried to keep their relationship on the down low, but it was a new day and Maya felt bad for being cold that morning, so she grabbed Miles' hand. "Are you sure?" Miles asked. Maya nodded.

They got a few looks in the hallway. Maya even heard Cam's name a few times. It was annoying, honestly. Cam was gone. People acted like Maya could never get over Cam. She could get over him. In fact, after hearing some girl she'd never talked to in her life say 'woah, she moved on fast!' Maya grabbed Miles and gave him a big kiss. It'd been nearly 6 months since Cam killed himself. She had the right to move on.

Maya and Miles said their goodbyes as the first bell rang. Maya got into her English class and saw that her new seat, the one she'd moved away from Tristan to, was full. In fact, every single seat was full except the one next to Tristan. She had barely talked to Tristan since the sleepover after the intervention. Tristan had broken up with Fab and it was dramatic, of course. That's probably why the seat was empty. Because nobody wanted to sit next to such a drama king.

Maya sat down next to Tristan reluctantly. Before she made eye contact with the teacher, she was tempted to just walk right out and skip. "Hey. Heard you're dating Miles Hollingsworth. Wow." It was a cold tone. Annoyingly cold. Maya was not in the mood for this crap today.

"Yeah, I am. Why do you care?"

"Because! Zoe has been in love with him since day one and you're ruining their relationship. They've been secretly together for months and she told me that he's been using you for sex! I can't believe you'd steal another girl's boyfriend."

"Are you kidding me right now, Tristan?! Miles hates Zoe! I'm not having sex with Miles or ANYONE for a long time! I'm very happy with Miles, as Miles is happy with me. I didn't want to talk to you in the first place because you're so dramatic! I'm done, you know that?"

By this time, they were both fuming and Maya had been too loud. The teacher switched Maya's desk with another student's, and Maya was away from Tristan. She decided then and there that she'd never be friends with Tristan again. But... If Tristan, Maya's old best friend, believed the crap that Zoe was apparently spreading, the whole school would soon think Maya was a slut. Great. Anxiety set in again as Maya put her head down to sleep. She slept until the bell rang and when it did, she got up and wiped a little bit of drool from her mouth.

"Maya, can we talk?" The English teacher asked, walking close to Maya. "Um, sure?" Maya smoothed her hair out and tried to pretend she wasn't tired.

"You've been distracted lately. I know you're not the type to fight with a best friend like that. What's going on? Is there something going on at home?"

"No, there's nothing going on." Maya bit her bottom lip. There really wasn't much other than the drama with Zoe, and the trouble in Miles' life. But that was Miles' life. Not hers. So the answer was no.

"Really? Well...I wasn't supposed to show you this, because it's a distraction, but these pictures came out today... Isn't that the Miles fellow you were talking about to Tristan?" The teacher pulled out a magazine with pictures of Zoe and Miles in an alley. It looked real, even though Miles explained it, it got her fuming. The headline was "Ex-Westdrive teen with a new squeeze? Zoe explains on page 29!" God, Maya hated Zoe. "Can I-just read that?"

"Um, you shouldn't. You need to go to class. The bell is about to ring."

Maya stormed out of the room, furious. Miles had been waiting for her outside. "Hey, beautiful, there you are! What took so long?"

"Leave me alone." Maya shoved past Miles and left. She needed to read that article and see what that bitch said. There was a magazine stand not too far from Degrassi. She walked, more like stomped, the 2 blocks until she got to the stand. She grabbed the magazine and threw her money at the vendor. It was all so dramatic, Maya laughed to herself. "I could probably be on West Drive like that bitch." She mumbled, as she turned to page 29. This bitch better have a good explanation.

The page was pink with hearts surrounding the picture of Miles and Zoe against the wall. It really did look real. You couldn't see Miles' picture when they were 'kissing', but there was another picture of them talking and you could see his face as well as Zoe's. Zoe had a very fake smile on and Miles just had a plain face on. Maya read the article.

* * *

**Zoe Rivas with a new dude? Wow, it looks spicy!**

_"Everyone knows Zoe Rivas, the awesome starlet on West Drive who is scheduled to leave the show to focus on high school. So, she's in high school, and looks like she found herself a hottie! The guy, according to Zoe, is just a friend. Sure looks more than friendly! We got an inside scoop from Zoe herself! The brunette cutie spoke of new man very highly. "We're not together. It's just...complicated. We really care for each other but there are things-people, specifically, keeping us apart." A protective mother or another chick? That's what we'd like to know here at Scoop! Magazine! Our sources tell us that he's the son of politician Miles Hollingsworth. His name is the same as his father. So, we totes ship Ziles! Zoe+Miles! Do you? "_

* * *

Maya was fuming. This bitch actually had the nerve to tell people that there were people keeping her and Miles apart? Yeah, Maya was...but even if Maya didn't exist, she doubted Miles would be into Zoe. Maya ended up just going home. She didn't feel too hot anyway, and the stress was adding on. She realized she'd left her backpack in her locker, so she drafted a message to Miles,

Maya: "Backpack in locker. Bring it home after school please. Combo = 3,12,28."

Miiles: "What happened?"

Maya: "Zoe Rivas happened..."

Miles: "See u soon."

Maya looked at the clock on her phone. It was only 11. School ended at 3. So either 'soon' was a longer measurement for Miles or he was going to come home now. She couldn't tell if she was happy about it or not.


	17. Chapter 17: Makeups, Breakups, and Plans

(MAYA)

Maya was sitting on her bed, on the verge of tears again, when she heard the front door open. Most likely the person coming in was Miles, so she wiped her tears away, grabbed her phone and opened a game of Candy Crush and pretended to be distracted. Miles knocked on her door and entered without a second thought, and must've noticed Maya's state, because he just dropped her bag and came and put his arm around her. "Tell me everything." God, why was Miles so perfect?

"Read it." Maya shoved the magazine in Miles' face. It was partially ripped, due to Maya's anger, but not so ripped that you couldn't read it. Maya's chicken arms couldn't dream of ripping through a magazine. Miles read the article quietly, with a straight face. He didn't seem to get too angry or anything, he just set down the magazine when he was done, and after about a minute, he finally showed a response.

"I hate that bitch."

Maya tried (and failed) not to laugh.

"Why are you laughing? She's a bitch." Miles said, quizzically.

"Because... I don't know. You're cute."

"I mean... I know that." Miles gave a joking eyebrow raise as if he _knew_ he was cute. He was even cute when he was trying to act like he was arrogant. The laughter faded and they just stared at each other for a minute or two.

"So, what are we going to do about this?" Maya finally broke the silence.

"Um, well...I mean, there's nothing better than revenge, right?" Miles smirked.

"What do you have in mind, pretty boy?" Maya laughed. She usually hated cliche nicknames, but Miles was so corny it just seemed right to call him something like pretty boy. Miles didn't seem to mind either, so she guessed she had judged his corny-ness correctly.

"My darling, Maya. I have a plan of course. I always have a plan. I'm a planning planner. I'm just...the plan master."

Yeah, Miles was really corny.

"Remind me why I like you again, you cornball." Maya smiled at her boyfriend, and they both simultaneously leaned in for a kiss. After the kiss, Miles pulled away, his hands still caught in Maya's now very frizzed up hair. "I think that might be part of it. My awesome kissing skills." They both laughed and returned to their deep kissing.

(MILES)

Miles really did have a plan. After school time had ended, Miles and Maya quit their make-out session and did homework together for a while. They might have taken breaks from their studies to make out... Okay, so they basically made out and occasionally took breaks to study. Same thing, pretty much. It was nice.

But once Maya's mom got home and they had to stop being all over each other, Miles had time to think about his revenge plan against Zoe again. He wasn't going to be cliche. He wasn't gonna do some dumb prank that has been done 300 times over. He needed a fresh idea. Which meant he'd have to go to the person who knew how to prank... Chewy.

He really hadn't intended on going back to his best friend, but honestly? He needed guy time. As much as Miles loved spending time with his beautiful girlfriend, he needed guy time too. So he sent a text to Chewy, hoping for instant forgiveness. And just like any other fight Miles and Chewy had gotten into, Miles was forgiven instantly.

"Hey, Mrs. Matlin. May I go to a friend's house for a bit please? I did all of my homework." Miles asked in his most polite voice. He got a nod of approval and a command to be home by dinner. "Thank you so much." Miles replied, as he shot a smile toward Maya's mother and headed out the door to Chewy's.

"Hey man!" Chewy said as soon as Miles arrived.

"What's up?" Miles said, walking up to his wing-man.

The two gave each other their signature handshake that they'd made up in 5th grade. It was so cheesy and they only did it when nobody was around. It was a weird fist bump that then turned into a high five, a low five, then another fist bump, and ended with a "WACHOW!" Again, so cheesy. Never to be seen by the public.

"So, why the sudden apology?" Chewy wondered once they got into the Chu house.

"Uh-well, first of all I missed my brother. Second of all, I need help."

"What kind of help? Like-I got my girlfriend pregnant help or math homework help?"

Miles laughed at this remark. Chewy was the type of person who was funny without trying.

"Revenge help."

Chewy seemed intrigued instantly. In 8th grade, Chewy became obsessed with revenge and was honestly so bad-ass. It ended in being grounded for like 6 months because the principal called home after a certain chicken issue, but still. BAD-ASS.

"Who's the victim, Jack?" Chewy said in his best detective voice. What the hell was he doing a detective voice for, Miles wasn't sure, but he was gonna help Miles, and that's all that mattered.

"Uh-This chick." Miles didn't want to say to Chewy that he was seeking revenge on the girlfriend of Chewy himself-If they were still together.

"Zoe?"

Miles nodded reluctantly.

"Thank god, she needs to learn a lesson."

Miles was instantly confused. "Break up?"

"She's into you, dude. Big time. Turns out she only said yes to me so she could try to hook up with you."

"Oh, I'm sorry Chewy."

"It's cool, I'm used to it."

And the sad thing was, Miles knew Chewy was used to it. Miles usually got the girls and Chewy usually just sat around, crushing on the girl that Miles was going out with... Miles wondered to himself if Chewy had a crush on Maya... After a sufficiently awkward silence between the two teen boys, Chewy cleared his throat and continued the conversation.

"Anyway, what are you thinking for revenge? I saw those pictures in the magazine. My mom buys that magazine and saw you and got majorly pissed. She kinda doesn't like you."

Miles chuckled. As if Mrs. Chu ever really liked Miles. She always gave him dirty looks and said that he was a bad influence whenever Miles left the room at the Chu home.

"I was thinking... I don't know. I want to teach her a lesson, but I also want to embarrass her so bad that she never messes with Maya or me ever again."

"I think I've got something..." Chewy said, and Miles imagined a big light bulb over his friend's head. Chewy was incredibly clever...

Now, what was the prank going to be?

* * *

R&R and please help me think of what the prank should be! Because I have no idea. I know that it's gonna have to do with Maya + Zoe working on the decorating committee for a school dance together and Miles/Maya/Chewy are gonna do something to Zoe at the dance. But if anyone has any prank ideas for that, that'd be awesome! Thank you guys so much. (Hint: There's more Hollingsworth drama coming too! Oooo)


	18. Chapter 18: Allergies, Suicides and Hugs

Omg I'm sorry this is so late. It took forever to get my thoughts together for this chapter. Not sure even how I feel about it. Also sorry if there's any typos I got fake nails and its harder to type with them. I love you all, darlings. R&R.

* * *

_After two weeks, Chewy, Miles, and Maya had finally formulated the perfect plan. They spent time doing trials, mapping it out... Chewy was having way too much fun with this, honestly. He was going all out. There were times where Maya wondered if Zoe deserved all of this, but then, every day, there'd be a new reason to hate Zoe Rivas._

_The plan was to sabotage Zoe at the school dance. Everyone was going to be there, so it'd be the perfect opportunity to ruin Zoe's reputation. She'd wish that she never even came to Degrassi, let alone mess with Maya or Miles._

(MAYA)

Maya looked good, no denying it, and she needed to look good for the dance. Better than Zoe, and she was sure that Zoe would be trying hard to look better than Maya.

Her dress was perfect. It was blue like the night sky and made her eyes pop. The top half ended right at the beginning of her ribs, and was covered in small silvery jewels that looked like stars. The bottom half was plain navy and tight to her body and made her small thin frame look more curvy than usual. Her hair was curled with small silver barrettes holding back the front half. Her makeup was light, but made her face glow. She finished the look with a pair of silver flats. She was not going to wobble around all night, no matter how good her legs looked in heels.

Maya left her room and ran into Miles in the hall. They'd planned to match, and he looked damn good too. A navy blue button down that was rolled up to his elbows, a pair of black pants, and a silver tie. "Daaaamn!" Maya smiled, pulling her boyfriend in for a kiss.

"We should get going." Miles said, looking Maya up and down and checking her out. "Stop staring!" Maya hit him. But it was good that he was staring. It meant she looked hot.

Miles and Maya arrived at the dance early. After all, they had to set up their plans. Since Maya was on the dance committee, she was able to set things up so it'd be easier for their sabotage.

The music hadn't started, but the DJ was setting up his equipment. He had headphones in so they came in un-noticed.

The plan was for Chewy to come up to Zoe when she arrived and tell her that Maya was crying in the bathroom because Miles broke up with her for Zoe, and that Maya was a wreck. Zoe would either feel bad, or, the actual possibility, go to rub it in Maya's face. Then, when Zoe came into the bathroom, Maya would lock her in, so they were alone. Then, Maya would confront Zoe and would get Zoe to admit that she was trying to hurt Maya and that she wasn't really with Miles. Then, Maya would, at the end, pretend to plead for Zoe's friendship, and if all went well, Zoe would accept. Maya would unlock the door and before Zoe left, offer her lipstick. Zoe would put on the lipstick, and leave. The lipstick had peanut oil in it. Zoe was allergic to peanuts, according to a Hollywood Gossip website. So, Zoe would go into the dance and her lips would get super puffy right in time for the Homecoming Court, which Maya paid to get rigged so Zoe would win Miss Sophomore, was announced. She'd get on stage all puffy faced and gross and everyone would joke on her for the rest of the year.

(NOBODY'S POV)

It was kind of juvenile, but Maya, Miles and Chewy were proud of it. Maya went to the bathroom when Chewy sent a text saying 'here!'.

The dance started and Zoe showed up with Chewy, fashionably late, since Chewy staged his car breaking down. She was already annoyed, so it was too easy. Chewy left her for a moment when Miles called him over. Chewy came back and told Zoe that Miles and Maya had 'broken up'. A smile creeped on Zoe's face. Zoe did all she could not to skip to the bathroom.

Zoe came into the bathroom and saw Maya, who was facing away from the door, with her hands over her face like she was crying.

"Are you okay, Maya?" Zoe spoke in the most insincere voice possible. An actress like Zoe should've been able to act better.

"Y-yeah I'm..." Maya said in a weak voice before turning to Zoe, walking past, and locking the door. "I'm surprised you're such a dumb bitch."

Zoe widened her eyes. "What is this?!" Maya laughed.

"This is your time to confess, Miss Rivas." Maya felt like she was on West Drive or some other cheesy TV drama. And it felt good to be cheesy sometimes. The word 'cheesy' brought Cam to mind, but Maya had to push that back.

"You psycho! Let me out of here! You're just mad because Miles dumped you, whore." Zoe spat insult after insult, ranting.

"No, Miles didn't break up with me. We're strong as ever. I just needed to get you in here so we could talk." Maya had to keep her insults to a minimum if she was going to get Zoe to take the peanut lipstick later.

"Talk about what?" Zoe replied calmly. She had plenty of acting skills, and she just needed a character to play. A character who had no idea what Maya was talking about. Zoe reapplied her lipstick in the mirror.

Maya rolled her eyes at Zoe's fake innocence. "You know what I'm talking about!" Anger was boiling Maya's blood like a pot of water on a stove. "You trying to sabotage my relationship! This may work on your little TV show, but this is real life and no amount of crappy ruses is gonna make Miles want you! You're ugly on the inside and the outside and I hate you! Just admit that you've been trying to get Miles to like you, and maybe I'll let you off the hook with no bruises."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Listen, little converse wearing whore! Yeah, I'm trying to steal Miles but I guarantee that soon he'll realize that he doesn't want you. He wants me! You're eternally jealous of me for being better than you. Miles will want me. I know it! Those pictures I staged in the ally? He wanted me. We made out and he was saying that it was a set-up because he didn't want to break your heart! You are such a..."

Zoe kept like this for a long time, but Maya stopped listening. She got what she needed. She grabbed the lipstick from Zoe's hand and slipped it in her pocket while Zoe was fuming, and handed back the one with the peanut oil in it. She didn't care about being subtle. Zoe was too mad to even notice the switch.

"Hey, Zoe? You're spitting all over me and your lipsticks gone. Just reapply it and I'll propose something. You look all hot with that lipstick and try to kiss Miles. He's waiting for me on the dance floor. If he likes you, he'll kiss you."

Zoe smiled. "Too easy." She said, applying the lipstick without even noticing it was different.

"I'm so jealous of you." Maya joked, as she unlocked the door and let Zoe go to the gym, where the dance was completely started. She was about to make a mess of herself.

Maya followed into the gym and stood with Chewy. Clare Edwards got on stage to announce the court. Two random freshman won Mr. and Miss Freshman. Tristan won Mr. Sophomore, and Zoe's name was called just as she reached Miles. A smile came on her face, and she got on stage. By that time, her face had begun to puff up. She had noticed, apparently, because she was touching her face.

Mr. and Miss Junior were two people who's names were ignored, since laughter had begun to erupt at Zoe's face puffing up. Some people laughed, some people were gasping, everyone was talking over Clare.

"Uh-Zoe? Are you okay?" Clare turned to the little sophomore, and Zoe tried to talk. "That...mmph, Shh wa..." Her mouth was completely puffed up and her eyes were almost swollen shut. She tried to run off the stage to go to the bathroom, but she could barely see and tripped and fell on her face. More laughter erupted.

Someone called an ambulance and got Zoe out of there, and Maya was satisfied. The rest of the dance was Zoe-free and drama-free. Maya and Miles laughed and kissed and danced, and Chewy found a pretty girl named Beth to dance with.

At the end of the dance, Chewy gave Miles and Maya a ride home. When they were at Maya's doorstep, Miles' phone rang. It was the hospital.

Miles' face fell and tears started running down his face. No words were spoken but Maya could tell it wasn't good. Was it Zoe? Did they find out that it was Miles and Maya behind her reaction?

Miles hung up his phone.

"Uh..." he tried to formulate words but it seemed impossible.

"My...my dad killed himself this morning. He overdosed on pain pills." Miles choked out, and Maya's jaw dropped. All she could do was hug her boyfriend...


	19. Chapter 19: Friends, Showers and Sleep

(MAYA)

"I...I should know what to say. My boyfriend killed himself last year. But...I don't know what to do. I have nothing to say! I didn't say anything last night and this morning he was gone." Maya was sitting indian style on her couch talking to her newfound friend Chewy. Chewy was at a loss for words. Maya had to assume he'd known Miles' dad his whole life. Maya had never met the man and she was heartbroken. "I...I just...I'm sick of death. My grams died, Cam, Adam, now...Damn it I didn't even know the guy!"

Chewy just stared at the wall with his mouth slightly open. It took a minute or two before he finally spoke. "Why do you think he did it?"

Maya wondered if Miles had told Chewy about all the abuse. All the yelling and the punching and Miles standing up for himself. Obviously not, if Chewy was honestly wondering. But...maybe there was something else. Deeper... Like Cam. A mental issue. He must've been sick.

Maya and Chewy sat there, silently eating pretzels and talking every once in a while. About Miles. About Cam. A long time was spent about Cam. Maya told him everything. More things than she'd ever told anyone. Secret things. Funny stories, like when Maya took her shirt off to try to get Cam's attention, and sad stories, like when they got in fights.

It made Maya cry a lot to reminisce, and it made Maya feel so sorry about Miles losing his dad. Miles lost a person who raised him. Maya lost a boy she kissed 8 times. It was much worse for Miles. No matter how much Maya didn't want to admit, Cam's death seemed so insignificant.

They smiled about Zoe's puffed up face. They ranted about the bitchy things Zoe did. They even took magazines that Katie had with Zoe in them and drew mustaches on Zoe's face. It was dumb but it passed the time and distracted them from the sadness.

They waited for a call from Miles. Chewy talked about how pretty the girl he danced with last night was. How she smelled like cinnamon. They talked about love. How happy Maya was with Miles. They just talked all day. Maya's mom left them alone to talk and didn't try to comfort them.

Miles came home at about 6 in the evening with a bag full of chinese food. His face had tear streaks and he reeked of cigarettes. He didn't say anything about the smell of his clothes or the redness of his eyes. Neither Maya nor Chewy said anything either. There was no point. They just ate chinese food in silence. After they ate, Chewy got up to leave. Maya gave him a hug and said she'd text him if anything happened. Miles and Chewy hugged each other tightly and Miles choked out a cry. A small one, and Chewy pretended not to notice. "Stay strong, bro. I love you." Miles nodded, and Chewy left.

Maya and Miles cleaned up dinner and then, Miles went to take a shower. Maya's parents had gone out for the night, so Maya had nothing to do. She played some music and thought about Cam. A lot. She realized how much she hated Cam. She hated him and loved him and cared and didn't care. All at the same time. And Miles' dad. She didn't even know the guy but cried more than she did at Cam. It was sick. She felt sick. She threw up and washed her mouth of the sickness. She changed into clean clothes to try to rid the dirty feeling from her skin but it didn't go away. She wanted to shower but Miles was in there.

Miles turned off the shower and Maya was standing at the door. He opened the door in nothing but a towel. Maya pulled Miles closer and kissed him passionately. He felt so...okay. He felt cleaner. After she pulled away, Miles had a blank expression.

"I...I need to shower." Maya said quietly. She felt embarrassed that she'd kissed him when he was in such a delicate state. But Miles wasn't repulsed. He pulled her into the bathroom and grabbed her waist. His towel almost fell but he caught it and pulled it tighter. He put her on the counter and kissed her more. The room was steaming from hot water and lust. "I love you, gorgeous. God, you're so perfect..." Miles said in a husky voice.

"I love you too...What are you doing?" Maya was wondering if he wanted to have sex. Honestly, she was thinking about it too. She loved him...

"What am I doing? You said you wanted to shower... Would you mind if I joined?"

This was so unlike Miles and weird... Maya felt uncomfortable.

"Um, I...I think you're not feeling well. Why don't you go to your room and I'll shower then meet you in there. I promise I won't pressure you to talk or anything. Maybe we can do...A little of this." Maya trailed her finger down Miles' bare chest awkwardly.

"I love you." Maya whispered, giving Miles a kiss with such passion that would put The Notebook to shame, and then let him out of the steamy room. It took her a minute to get undressed, because for some reason she felt violated. Maybe the idea of shower sex just scared her. Or sex in general... She got undressed and took a quick shower, then went to her room and put on a pair of black tights and a tank top that showed some skin.

She walked into the guest room that Miles had made his own and saw Miles asleep. She felt a little bit of relief. She loved Miles but her sexy proposition was a little too soon. He needed to be in a good state of mind before they even considered taking their relationship to that step. Maya climbed in bed with Miles and gave him a kiss on the forehead before falling asleep, not even caring that her parents would see in the morning. They'd understand once she told them about Miles' dad...

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These chapters are sucking more and more lately. I'm sorry. R&R and give me ideas please. I need them!


	20. Chapter 20: Cigarettes, Journals and Cam

**Writer's Note: Hi babes! So sorry if the cuteness in this chapter isn't cute enough. I got broken up with so I'm not exactly in the most lovey-dovey mood currently. I tried. Love you love you love you all.**

**(Cred to user msleahbeah3236 for giving me the idea to make them talk about Cam.)**

**By the way-Gonna find a way to incorporate Owen/Tristan possibly. If you have any ideas for this story let me know. I'm writing this for you guys, not me. So, I wanna know what you want to read. Love you all so much.**

(MILES)

Miles hadn't eaten. He had barely slept and his mouth tasted like cigarettes. Something he despised. Weed was alright. A good stress reliever, but cigarettes? They reminded him of his step mom Madeline. And that was exactly where he got the smokes.

They spotted one another at the hotel and initially gave each other dirty looks, but when they both started crying, they fell into each other. Miles wasn't sure why Madeline was crying. She didn't love Miles' father in the least. But maybe she still cared for him. After all, they were married. Not a real marriage, but...legally.

They didn't speak real words, only mumbled apologies for stupid things that happened. "I'm sorry for calling you a bitch" or "I'm sorry for kicking you" and after a while, Madeline held out a cigarette to end the conversation and loosen the tension. Miles initially pulled a disgusted look, but shrugged and decided he needed it. Maybe it was as relaxing as the commercials and ads made it out to be...

It wasn't. It tasted gross and made him want to puke, but he kept going, because much like life, you can't just throw something away because it makes you sick. That's what Miles did with his dad, and...look what happened. Miles wasn't afraid of a cigarette offing itself, but for some reason, he decided that he'd try harder. For everyone.

After the hospital, the drive home was silent. He got home to see Chewy and Maya together. He was happy that they were friends, but a little jealous that they were so close... Not that he was worried that either would betray his trust...It was just...weird.

They ate chinese food together then Miles took a shower. A long shower where he thought about everything.

His dad, Chewy, Maya, Zoe, his sister, his friends, his old dog that died, where his hamster went when he disappeared...Those kinds of things. People he was grateful to have as well as people that he'd die if he lost. They were mostly the same people. Though, it turned out, even if Miles wasn't grateful for his dad, losing him hurt like hell. He thought of everything and everyone.

At the end, he got out fresh and clean and less disturbed feeling. When he opened the door he found a Maya, who looked oh so cute in her little red pants and blue sweater with a white star on it... It was like The Fourth Of July or something very American. The encounter was fuzzy, but Miles remembered seducing his girlfriend before he fell asleep. God, he was a mess. He woke up in his cold bed... He thought he'd felt Maya sneak in to bed, but his guess was she left after a while..

Miles pulled himself out of bed and went into Maya's room. She was wide awake and doodling in a notebook. "What are you writing?" He startled the girl who was so into whatever was in the book.

Maya shut the book faster than Miles could end the sentence. "Maya...? What's in there?"

Maya tried to get Miles to forget about it, but Miles was determined. Turned out Maya was almost as determined as Miles was to keep the book out of Miles' hands, but Maya felt bad for Miles, so she gave in a bit easier than she usually would. All it took were puppy dog eyes and a few "pretty"s before please.

Miles took the notebook. It was a journal. About Cam. Everything about him. It seemed to have started right after Cam killed himself. Tears filled Miles' eyes and spilled onto the already tear-stained pages. It was everything that Maya felt every day since Cam died. They weren't romantic feelings, they were feelings of fear and anxiety and depression and anger and sadness and wonder and...the feelings were so similar to Miles' own it was almost creepy.

Miles looked over to his girlfriend who had her face in a pillow. She seemed to be crying. "Maya, it's okay..." Miles said in a low voice. Maya didn't look up, so Miles kept reading. Every page was a flurry of different emotions. Some pages were more filled than others. Some pages were dry and some were smudged. Some said Maya was 'okay' and feeling fine. But others admitted that she was drowning...wondering what she did wrong. Some pages she blamed herself, and some she ranted about how stupid Cam was. It was so unsteady and so...real.

After Miles was almost to the date that Miles and Maya started dating-Maya stopped him. "There's stuff about you. Personal things that I don't want you to know. My feelings." Maya grabbed the book and shut it. Now Miles was full of wonder. He scooted closer to the girl who now had tear streaks that were similar to his own. "Good or bad?"

"Good."

And then they kissed. For a long time. When they stopped, a question escaped Miles' lips.

"Do you still love Cam?"

Maya chewed on this question for what seemed like forever. She took her time, and Miles didn't mind. He played with her fingers while she thought of her emotions. Miles wouldn't be hurt if Maya still loved Cam. Miles still loved his father. He still loved every person in his life who had left.

"Yes." Maya finally said. "But not in a good way. It's not...it's not pretty. It's not romantic. It's not good love. I love him because he never gave me a chance to stop loving him. He was my first love and I never got a chance to even say goodbye."

Miles nodded, and let the room be silent for a while.

"Do you think you have space in your heart to love both of us? Cam and I...that is?" He didn't want to share his girl, but did he have a choice? He couldn't resurrect the guy. Maybe Maya's love would fade over time.

"I do." Maya said, wiping her eyes. "You know I do."


	21. Chapter 21: Funerals, Moms, and Dreams

(MILES)

Miles had never been to a funeral in his life, and never wished to go to another. It was stupid, and didn't help or hurt at all. It was just like a social event. Most of the people there were other politicians who were there because it would look good on their next campaign to pretend they cared about other politicians, and the other people were family that Miles had never met. They kept holding him and crying into his shirt that went from white to smeared with old lady makeup and telling him how much he looked like his father. _Great, I look like the dead guy, thanks, Aunt Bernice._ Miles thought, but didn't say it of course.

The one pleasant surprise was his mother showing up. His biological Mom who had left a while back, when Miles' dad started getting more physical with his abuse. Before Miles got expelled for the first time, his abuse was mild. A spanking here, yelling there... Nothing like the abuse Miles got before his dad died.

His mom hugged him tightly. They both had dry eyes, for they both hated Miles' father. With a passion. There was love there, of course, but the main feeling was hate.

After the crappy funeral, Miles' mom took him out for lunch at some crappy Chinese place that was styled like a diner. That was one thing Miles loved about his mom. She wasn't into the whole fancy millionaire politician lifestyle. She was a classic, quirky, unique, beautiful woman. An individual. After many times of Miles calling her 'Momma' like he usually did, she told him, "Miles, you're growing up. Call me Noelle!" It felt weird, but he did it anyway.

Miles told Noelle about Maya. About his living arrangements at the Matlin house. About everything that had happened since she left, but most of it was about Maya. He even went in depth about Cam... Noelle didn't speak much, but Miles could see she was listening closely.

When their food got there, Miles stopped talking and dove into his plain lo mein noodles. The dish was about as crappy as the restaurant, so he just poured more soy sauce on it and made it taste like soy sauce with a hint of noodle.

"It seems..." Noelle took a bite of her beef and broccoli which smelled revolting to Miles, "Like you really love this Maya girl a lot." But this seemed so insincere. Like she didn't believe it. She checked her phone for a while and Miles played with his soy sauce drenched food for a while in silence. Neither of them sure how the other was feeling or what the other wanted to say. They could both see that the other had words on their lips, but still...

At the end of the meal, they both stood up and hugged. "Thanks, mom. I needed you." Miles said, knowing she would correct him, but she surprisingly didn't. She just kissed his forehead and said, "Love you, kid." They both smiled. Miles wasn't ready for his mom to leave. "Do you want to meet Maya?" It slipped out. He just wanted more time with his mom, and maybe this was a good idea...

It wasn't that his mother was a bad person, not in the least, it was just...she was very judgmental. She'd learned to be that way by being judged by every woman at all of Miles' dad's big functions. She was super sweet, but she didn't have a big filter when it came to people she didn't know or didn't like.

"Please be nice." Miles said, when he opened his mom's door. He was starting to wonder if he should have warned the Matlin's. It was rude of him to just bring his mother into their house. What if Mrs. Matlin was rearranging things and it was a mess? She would probably be annoyed if Miles brought his mother into a messy house...

"Mom, wait here for a minute. I'm just gonna make sure it's okay to-um, make sure they're decent."

"Oh, would they not be?"

Such an innocent phrase, yet it seemed so mean considering the circumstances.

"They will be, It's just...Nothing."

"By the way, introduce me as Noelle, Miles. I've asked you to call me that, have I not?"

Miles raised his eyebrows, feeling a bit annoyed, but he left his mom-Noelle, on the front porch.

"Hey, Mr. Matlin!" Miles spotted his girlfriend's dad on the couch. "I-um, have a guest who would like to meet the family who graciously took me in. It's my mom... Are you guys cool with meeting her?"

Mr. Matlin was such a nice guy. He didn't even skip a beat. "Of course, Miles! Honey? Maya? Is Katie here? Or is she off with Jake? Everyone get in the living room!"

Mrs. Matlin used her crutches to bring herself from the kitchen. She looked nice. Katie came out next, with a hickey that was badly hidden on her collar bone. Nice... One more thing for Miles' mom to judge. Where was Maya?

"Um, I'll let her in and introduce you guys, then you guys can talk while I go find Maya. I bet she's taking a nap." Miles gave the Matlin's a toothy smile. He was nervous about this...

He went to the front door and let his mom in. She was complaining about him leaving her for so long, then she shook the Matlin's hands, and congratulated Miles on 'getting such a beautiful girl'. But she was talking about Katie.

"No, no. This is Maya's sister. Katie." Noelle's face came to a pout. "But, she's so gorgeous!"

"Yeah, yeah. But Maya is the one for me. She's just as gorgeous, if not more... Sorry Katie." But Katie didn't seem to mind too much. She was grinning from the compliments.

"Speaking of Maya, I'll be right back, I'm gonna go find her. She's gotta be napping if she didn't hear Noelle's loud voice." The room erupted in nervous laughter from the Matlins. They didn't want to laugh too hard, for they weren't in the business of offending strangers.

Miles left them in the living room and made a beeline to Maya's room. She must've been passed out.. But when Miles came in, all he saw was a little Maya on her bed, sitting, with headphones in, humming and writing in her Cam journal contently. She was so cute...

He walked over and sat beside her. The bed moving startled her and she made a little shriek and shut the journal fast. Miles assumed nobody except Miles knew about the journal. "Aw, hey. I didn't mean to scare you." He smiled at her, and took her hand. She kissed him and threw the journal behind her. They kissed passionately for a while and it made Miles forget all about his mom being there. The only thing that took them out of their world of kissing was Katie standing at the door coughing awkwardly.

"Um, it's been almost 10 minutes. They're starting to think you either died or you're making a baby. And at this rate, you were heading for either loss of oxygen due to sucking each other's faces off, or the baby making. So- I'm gonna tell them Maya was sleeping and Miles got engrossed in reading...this. What book is this?" Katie had the Cam journal in her hand.

"Um, Catcher In The Rye. Special edition... Journal style?" Maya kind of sucked at lying, but her attempt was cute. She snatched the journal and Miles got up and grabbed her hand. The journal was set on her bookshelf and the three teens went downstairs.

The evening went well. Noelle managed to only accidentally offend Maya a few times, and Mrs. Matlin a dozen times. But woman-to-woman, it seemed like it didn't matter. Maybe women didn't take things personally...

When the evening was over, Miles showed his mom to her car. She left, giving Miles a kiss on the cheek, and drove off. Miles wasn't sure if she was staying another night in Toronto or not, but he was glad things were good with Noelle.

When Miles came back in, Mr. Matlin was gushing over how nice Noelle was, Mrs. Matlin said a few quiet nice things, and Maya just stared at Miles with this...look. It almost seemed...lustful. Katie had disappeared, probably to Jake's. Since she was 18 and in college and didn't really live there, she could do that. It seemed nice..

Miles took a shower and when he got back, saw a note from Maya on his pillow.

_"Me, you...alone all of tomorrow night til Midnight. What do you think? ;) -M"_

There were a few hearts drawn on the note, and Miles bit his bottom lip hard. He wanted to, he really did. He'd had sex a few times before with a couple sluts from his old school, but he'd never done it with someone he loved... He heard Maya get in the shower, so he decided to write her a note.

_"I'm a teenage boy who also happens to love you. What do you think I think?" _

Even if he thought it seemed a little girly, he drew a few hearts on the note, and left it on Maya's pillow for her to discover. He might have sex with Maya Matlin...The girl he loves. This is so scary and big and amazing and...a dream come true.

Miles had a sexy dream about Maya that night. And when he got up at 3am, he snuck into Maya's room and saw her laying in bed. All he wanted was to grab her and wake her up and pin her against the bed and do things to her. Miles was not a super gross horny guy, but after that dream, it was all he wanted. He just kissed her forehead softly and went back to bed after changing his boxers.

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**What is everyone's opinions on smut? I might write it in the next chapter, but I'm not turning this into a sex story. If I get more negative votes toward it, I won't do it, but if you guys are into it, I'll write it. Up to you. I want to make you comfortable. **


	22. Chapter 22: Movies, Alone, and 4am

(MAYA)

Maya was ready to have sex with Miles. She really was. She was 15 and she was young but she loved this boy. He was so nice to everyone and-well, it turned her on. She didn't even know that she was the type of girl to get turned on by a guy, but it turned out she was. And now she had an evening alone with Miles. A whole evening. She thought of candles, she thought of music, but she decided that was cliche.

Miles and Maya literally stared at each other eagerly as Maya's parents set down ground rules. Katie was to be there supervising, though Miles and Maya had been told by Katie that she was leaving with Jake as soon as the parents were out. Once all the rules were thoroughly explained, Mr. and Mrs. Matlin left and drove off. Where they were going was a mystery. Probably some soccer thing. That's the type of thing they cared about. Not Maya's music, but soccer. Since Katie had to get out of Stanford within her first semester because of money issues/probably missing Jake Martin issues, she'd been going to TU and playing soccer, but it wasn't the type of game the Matlins went to. It wasn't a 'real' team, as they said.

About 2 minutes later Jake's red truck pulled up to the front of the house. "I'm out. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Katie could've said a thousand things that were more helpful, since Katie was probably off to have sex with Jake. "Mhmm." Maya tried to hide a laugh. Once Katie was long gone, Maya and Miles looked at each other. "Soo…" They said simultaneously, then both nervously laughed.

"I love you." Miles whispered, getting closer. "I really do." He pushed Maya's hair out of her face and kissed her softly. First on the lips, then each chubby little cheek, then on her forehead, then on her eyelids, everywhere but her lips. She kept laughing and trying to pull him in for a kiss on the lips, but he kept his lips everywhere but on hers. He started kissing her neck and she moaned softly. "Miles, we should…"

But apparently Miles could read her mind. "My room or yours, darling?" He said, scooping her up in his arms.

"Mine?" They both had twin sized beds, which she figured neither were good for sexy time, but the only non-twin sized bed in the house was her parents, and that was just downright awkward. So they went to Maya's bed…

It was an interesting experience to say the least. There was no screaming of names or anything like Maya expected. It was sweet and awkward and quiet and nothing like they expected. It was personal. Not something that seemed like a crappy hookup. The whole time Miles kept telling Maya how beautiful she looked and how much he loved her. That definitely helped boost the mood. They barely even did much, but it just seemed like they were even closer. Miles did orgasm, and Maya whimpered with pleasure a lot, but they weren't breaking any headboards or losing any voices. When they were done, they laid in bed naked for a while, holding hands. Maya felt insecure, but Miles assured her that her body was perfect.

After they decided they should probably get ready, Miles kissed Maya once more and told her he loved her for the 200th time that night. But it seemed like he really meant it. Maya got dressed with a smile on her face. She even stole one of Miles' jumpers. An oversized red one that she'd never seen him wear. They met in the living room and started watching a cheesy horror movie that happened to be on TV. Maya still winced at every single gory thing. Miles just laughed and kissed her when the fake blood poured from the fake wounds.

Katie got home around 11pm with a couple fresh hickeys noticeable on her neck. "Don't you say a word." Then she stormed up to her room, probably to cover them up as well as she could.

"At least I left no marks." Miles said, kissing Maya's neck and sucking on it just a slight bit. A shiver went down her spine. Now Maya knew why Katie always had hickeys all over her neck. Because they felt like heaven. The neck had to be some sort of erogenous zone or something. "Oh my god, Miles." She basically moaned out his name, then clapped her hand over her mouth. "That voice was pretty sexy actually. Next time." They both just smiled at each other. The sexual stuff was still new to them.

Katie came back into the room and sat down on the couch next to Miles. "What did you two do tonight? Maya, you're glowing…Oh my god. You didn't. Did you use a condom?" Miles and Maya both felt their faces get hot.

"We didn't, Katie. God! We just watched movies and made out a little." Maya knew this was a dumb lie, since Katie would probably figure it out soon, but tonight was not the time to talk about sex. She was all sexed out all of a sudden and didn't want to think about the night. Miles just nodded with what Maya said, and Katie gave them a look as if she knew they were lying, but let it go. She popped some popcorn and watched the movie with them. When the Matlin parents got home they were happy, talking about some motivational speaker they saw. None of the teenagers listened, but when they finished talking, Katie took a shower and the Matlins made themselves dinner.

Miles and Maya quietly went upstairs by themselves. "I want you again, damn it." Miles said roughly. "Yeah." Maya wasn't sure if she wanted to have sex quite yet again. She was sore, honestly. She kissed Miles hard and ran her hand down his pants as casually as she could while they kissed in the hall. They broke their kiss when they heard Katie's shower end. "Tomorrow, maybe." Maya said, removing her hand and leaving her boyfriend turned on and eager.

That night she wrote about the sex with Miles in her journal and how she felt… She wrote the date, as usual, then wrote freely. She never used an eraser in the journal. It made things more real.

"Tonight I did something with Miles I never thought I'd do until marriage. We had sex. I wanted stuff like that with Cam but he wasn't into it. I love Miles. I do. I do. I do. The sex was really nice and he was really nice about it and gentle and I just…. I don't know if it was the right thing to do. But it's too late and telling him I regret it is not the answer. I worry that I'm not over Cam. I thought of Cam when Miles called me beautiful. I didn't want to. I really didn't. But I did. My mind drifted to Cam a lot. Anyway, I don't feel too good. I feel kind of bad about myself. Like a whore. But part of me has never felt more alive. So, this is it tonight. I still love Campbell stupid Saunders. Bye."

It was a short entry, but it really captured how she felt. Conflicted. She loved Miles. More than anything, but was he the guy she was destined to marry? She couldn't have sex with a guy then just break up and forget. But…that was what Katie did with Drew. And Tori with Zig. Probably Tristan with Fab. A lot of people. Did sex mean anything?

This question kept Maya up all night. It made her wonder if sex was anything more than just like kissing. That people hyped it up or something. She wasn't sure. It sure felt different than kissing. Her parents went to bed, Katie snuck out with Marisol at about 3, and she heard Miles whimper in his sleep. She wondered if he had a bad dream and decided to go check on him quietly.

But the dream Miles had was not a bad one. When Maya came in Miles was naked, wiping something out of the front of his boxers with a tissue… Semen. He'd had a wet dream. Awkward. "Oh, I should…go." Maya whispered. "No, please." Miles grabbed Maya. "I had a dream about you. I need you with me tonight."

So Maya climbed in his bed and set her head on his pillow, despite everything her mind was saying. Miles climbed in with only a pair of fresh boxers. He pulled her on top of her. He was hard as a rock down there and Maya felt it pressing against her. "Wow, hey." Maya tried to be comical, but Miles was so turned on…

He basically made out with Maya's neck and she whimpered into the pillow. It felt so good. Better than anything in the world. She was now turned on too, and it was 4am. "I want you." Miles whispered. "Me too." Maya replied.

They couldn't have sex at 4am, could they?

Well, they did. They had sleepy sex in Miles' bed. It was less romantic, but it sure felt better. They did it a little harder that time and Maya had to hold her moans in her throat. Only a few moans escaped, but they were caught by Miles' neck that Maya was sucking on hard. She knew giving him a hickey would be hard to hide, but she needed to have her mouth occupied. They both orgasmed and Maya had crazy hair by the end. She snuck out of Miles' room after he passed out and checked the clock. It was 4:45 and she'd have to get up for school in 45 minutes. So she just got in bed and laid there till her alarm clock went off.

At breakfast they exchanged smiles and Maya saw the hickey. It was faded… How? She'd just done it about an hour ago and then it was super dark. She wondered to herself how many hickeys he'd had and how he knew how to hide it so well...

"Where's your mind at this morning, Miss Maya-moo?" Mr. Matlin asked, handing her a plate with eggs on it. "Uh, nothing. Just sleepy." Maya disregarded the dumb nickname, knowing that starting something with her dad was pointless because she'd lose. Mr. Matlin kissed her forehead. "You two should get to school now. Don't want to be late on a Monday morning. Not a good start to the week."

Miles, being his usual charming self, said something charming as hell and then they left. "Last night…wow." Miles said in the car. Maya just looked forward and nodded. "I love you?" Miles said, waving his hand in front of Maya's face. She gave him a half smile and kissed his cheek. "School time." She muttered to herself…Preparing for the hell that was Degrassi on a Monday. Kids who had weekends full of alcohol and parties were still hung over, nerds were over chipper because they probably did so much homework or discovered a new bacteria over the weekend, it was just never fun. And of course the first face Maya and Miles saw when they came in was Zoe Rivas. Regular sized face now. And she seemed satisfied… What had she done this time?


	23. Chapter 23: Zoe, Yelling, And Crying

I can't decide who I like writing as better. Maya or Miles. I'm switchin it up and writing as Zoe this time. It's gonna be weird, but you can finally see what's going on in that evil (or is it evil?) brain of hers. Anyway, how are you guys? I love you loyal little lovelies. Enjoy your day/night/I don't know. R&R. This chapter is so short and crappy. Sorry.

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(ZOE)

"Miles and Maya are going down. I swear even if it gets me expelled, they're going down. I'm gonna make them break up. I don't even want Miles anymore. My goal is to make them regret ever messing with me. And I always get my way." Zoe was ranting on the phone to her friend, Monica. Monica was still on the show. Monica played Zoe's BFF on West Drive, and was Zoe's only true friend in the world.

"Ooh, you gotta get them." Monica replied, chomping on her gum disgustingly loud. Zoe had to overlook a lot of things about Monica. She was all Zoe had. She might not be all that pretty or loyal or nice or...Zoe couldn't stand Monica, but...they were friends. Zoe wasn't all too good at making friends, but she wasn't about to admit that to anyone ever, so...fake friends were better than no friends at all, right?

"Yeah, I will. Not sure yet how, but...I'll figure it out." Zoe said, hanging up the phone. It was Monday morning. Monica was on set and Zoe had to go to the grossest place on Earth, Degrassi.

Zoe hated Degrassi with every fiber of her being. She hated the students, teachers, the principal was a total freak, the bathrooms were gross and dim, her locker had old gum in it, the food was not even close to real beef, nobody appreciated her or treated her like a celeb other than the annoying little freshmen, and there was bad cell service in every single part of the school. She couldn't talk on the phone in class or find a boyfriend to have drama with like on the show. It was completely and utterly miserable with a capitol M.

Zoe's face had finally gone down from the peanut allergic reaction at the dance. That was one more reason she didn't want to go to school. She'd be the laughing stock! "Mom, can I please stay home?" Zoe coughed, "I'm really not feeling well. I think I'm sick from the peanuts on Friday..."

Her mom just rolled her eyes. "The doctor said you were fine on Saturday morning, Zoe. I've got a job interview at 9, so I don't have time for your crap this morning. Get dressed, do your hair, and let's go! It's your fault you're in regular school instead of on a TV set."

Zoe crossed her arms and went to her room. She picked out the cutest outfit she could find to make Maya jealous, and curled her hair like she did on the episode of West Drive where she had to make her ex-BFF feel totes bad for stealing her boyfriend. Zoe looked even hotter than she did on usual days of school, which was pretty hot.

When Zoe got to school, one of the first faces she saw was Winston Chu's. "Hey, Chu." She tried to flirt. He just scoffed and walked away. What was happening? Chu was on her side!

Then she saw Maya and Miles. Glowing. They looked way too happy.

"Wow, someone got laid last night." Zoe practically yelled at the couple. They both blushed. Miles seemed happy and Maya seemed embarrassed. Maya muttered something like "Maybe it was a mistake" and then the couple separated and went to their own classes.

This was a piece of cake for Zoe.

One of the girl niners that was a fan of Zoe came up. "Hey, Zoe, want me to carry your bag? It's so cute." The girl was not even close to pretty.

"Um, no thanks." Zoe put on a fake smile, then walked past a tall, slightly nerdy but kind of cute guy and tossed her bag into his hands. "Thanks for carrying my bag. Follow me."

The guy threw her bag to the floor and laughed.

"No thanks, TV bitch. I don't want to be seen with you, and definitely not touch your stuff. You're pathetic." Then he walked away, and everyone laughed. Zoe felt tears well up in her eyes. Not the fake ones she made in her eyes for television, but real ones. "You're ugly anyway!" Zoe yelled to the boy's back, but he didn't acknowledge.

Zoe went home and cried. Her mom got mad and told her she was wasting her life, but Zoe didn't even respond. She wanted to have friends. She wanted to be normal. She wanted to be...Maya.


End file.
